Third wave
by Skymaster23
Summary: The continuation of Sit-reps. Final chapter up. Codenames Airfoil and Treads are available so long as you PM me first.
1. Someone's gone Elvis

Third wave.

* * *

The next day, Breaker is at his post with a paddle ball when a call comes in. "Aw...Breaker here, what can i-Slow down...what?!"

At the infirmary, Scarlett and Greenshirt McCabe, formerly Treads from the Action Force, are approached by Duke, Flint, and Beachhead. Both women are roughed up. "Scarlett, you alright?, What happened out there?" Duke asks her.

"And Lady-Jaye, where is she?" Flint asks next, and both women share a tearful glance.

"We-we were heading in-into town for some downtime, an...they~killed her! We~we tried to~stop them, but..." Scarlett says, then breaks down in a stunned Duke's shoulder.

Flint took a step back at the words; Lady-Jaye, the boastful soldier he served so many times alongside, the near angelic woman he would (and almost did) gladly throw his career away for, is lying dead somewhere? He clenches both fists with a sneer. "How?!, Who did it?; Tell me, damn you-ow!" Flint asked loudly before being struck in the shin with a crutch.

"Cawlm down rait naw Faireborn, and do yuhself some thinkin'!" Beachhead tells him before pointing to the two women. "If dat gurl of yer's is dead, how come these two ain't?"

"Enough, both of you!" Duke tells both as he and Doc separate them. "But still; i can guess who it was, but we need specifics."

After wiping her eyes, MaCabe answers. "It was~the Crimson Guard, sirs, came out of nowhere in a van. Must have been a~dozen of them, we tried to fight them off, but when we saw~that round hit her, we just froze." She says, ending with a whimper. "They got us with~with chloroform after that. Her b...she was gone when we came too."

"Only one round?" Doc asked her. "Sounds a bit unlikely at such close range."

The three commanders look at each other. "You certain it was the Crims?" Duke asks. "Not like them to act en mass like that."

"Positive, and that they would just take off and let us both live after that is suspicious." Scarlett replies. Duke turns to the other two men and leads them to the briefing room.

* * *

Chapter one. Read and review.


	2. Panic room

Third wave.

* * *

On a hill just outside the base, Shipwreck, Snow-Job, Footloose, and Dusty are fighting over binoculars while watching Cover-Girl, Alice and Greenshirt Stall at the pool. "I said it's my tu...what the hell?" Snow-Job asks as he takes them when they hear a short scream.

"Who was it just now?" Dusty asks.

"Beats me, but Zap's saying something; must be real bad cause Langdon just fainted for some reason." Snow-Job replied.

"That's giving off some bad vibes, man." Footloose says aloud.

"Fer all of us." Shipwreck added.

* * *

Back inside, the three commanders are in the briefing room. "So here's what we know so far: They were heading to town when they got ambushed, and the Crimson Guard...got Lady-Jaye, right?" Duke asks aloud, and the other two nod.

"Dem bastahds did sumptin wit' her anehway." Beachhead replies. "But it jes' dun't add up."

Duke nods and turns to Flint, who keeps silent. "What do you think, Flint...Flint, I'm talking to you!"

"Oh, uh...what were you saying?" He asks, and Beachhead blanches while Duke smacks the table.

"This isn't a classroom, dammit...i can imagine what your going through; but I'm gonna go out on a limb that this wasn't an actual assassination."

"You think this is more like that time Cobra graffitied the moon?" Flint asks him.

"We can't rule it out, but it's more obvious that-" Duke starts.

"-This is retaliation for the perfume business the other day." Flint finishes, and palms his face.

"Even though it was more of a draw, Cobra Commander would pull something like this. We just have to find where he took her...d...dead or alive." Duke tells them, then heads for the phone. "Breaker, get Col. Sharp on the line."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

At the Pentagon.

"An abduction, then?" Col. Sharp asks Duke, while Morelli shakes his head.

"Yes, Colonel; we think Cobra is after some payback for what happened on Aertes's yacht earlier." He replies. "We would like assistance for the search."

"You got it. Morelli, call the CIA director, and the nearest airbase commander; have them in General Abernathy's office asap." The Col. ordered.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Elsewhere, Lady-Jaye wakes up. "Ugh, someone get me the license plate number of that battleship." She says, in a groan before she gasps once she sees where she is, on a bed in a windowless room. "How-Scarlett, Mallor...y?, Just me, eh?" She asks herself as she looks around some more. As she gets out of the bed, she pauses. "Wait a second, didn't one of those asshole's shoot me before?" She asks again, and reaches under her shirt, only to feel a slight welt. After that, the door opens, making her jump, but all she sees is a robot. A small screen is on it, which turns on.

"I see you're awake, my dear." She hears from it's loudspeaker; the voice just as familiar as the face on the screen.

"Xamot?, A real displeasure seeing you again." She tells him, then points at the screen. "Whatever it is you want, you sure as hell aren't getting it. So just let me out of here, or else."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong; see, i already have what...or rather, who i want...Alison Hart-Burnett." He replies, smirking as she goes wide-eyed at the statement, and a feeling of dread rises in her.

"You...What did you...just say?"

* * *

Chapter two. Read and review.


	3. S&R part 1

Third wave.

All segments will be simultaneous.

* * *

"You of all people should know who hard it is for anyone on TV to be anonymous." Xamot tells her in a matter of factly tone.

"Bu...that doesn't explain how." Lady-Jaye says back once she gets over the shock.

"Honestly, Tomax and i knew who you were for some time; the boyfriend of a cousin of one of our agent's used to be a Foley Artist on one of the shows that you were in." He replies.

After a few seconds of finger-counting, "What did you hit me with; and why isn't Scarlett here, what are you doing to her?!" She yells, and kicks the robot.

"First answer. The bullet had an anesthetic inside it, which impacted a red dye pack sewn into your jacket." He tells her and continues while she glances at the spot again. "Second. Nothing, because neither Scarlett, nor that other soldier, were taken."

Lady-Jaye pauses, checking his face on the screen for any sign of lying, not finding any, she makes another question. "If that's true, what do you want from me?" Her answer comes in the form of him switching to a recording of two people walking on a boat, a scene she remembers from a different angle. "Oh my god." She thinks to herself and gulps.

* * *

At the Pentagon, Gen. Abernathy's office.

"The Crimson Guardsmen?, Are you certain, Sharp?" He asks, hiding slight concern.

"Yes Gen, the other two who were with her confirmed it." Sharp answered.

"The question is why bother; Cobra still has the formula for that perfume from the report you showed me, don't they?" The CIA director asks.

"They do, and we're not sure. It's more likely that the goal is to get back at G.I. Joe for interfering." Col. Sharp replied, and the director nods in agreement.

"So what ar-" Gen. Abernathy asks, before a random worker comes in.

"Sir, there's a Col. Hawkins here for you."

"That's the airbase commander i also asked for; send him in, please."

* * *

At Joe H.Q., the three commanders leave the briefing room to find some others outside. "We heard yuh Mademoiselle got captured again." Gung-Ho says first.

"Hearin' about yer lady fair is the news givin' us all the blues." Roadblock adds.

"Rescue party is all ready and waiting, my man." Alpine finishes.

Flint and the other two smile at this before Duke speaks up. "In that case; all Joes to the assembly room."

Once inside, Duke, Flint, and Beachhead are on stage with Scarlett and Stalker. "This is what we know; at 1115 hours, Scarlett's car was ambushed here-" Duke says, pointing to a roadmap. "-According to the GPS. She and McCabe said that a dozen or so Crimson Guardsmen came out of a van hidden in a false section of the road; which would require prior knowledge."

At this, the audience looks around themselves, someone on base is a Cobra spy. "Who was the last person off base?"

"Ace, Grunt; the new one, and Flash were out on recon around da same time."

"What'd you say?!"/"You're barking up the wrong tree, Barbecue!"

"Easy, easy; jus' givin' a simple fact."

"I'll give you a bloody nose, y-"

"Atten-hut!" Beachhead yells. "Awl 4 of yuh; clam up, n' sit yer asses down!"

After they follow the directions, Duke turns to Stalker, who take the podium. "We've been coordinating with local authorities, who have reported the van Scarlett and McCabe saw heading into a car wash, but not exiting. We need volunteers to examine the site." He says, and everyone stands at the same time.

"Good to see, thank you, but we'll need to work on a smaller scale, so we'll draw straws." Flint says, which Beachhead raised an eyebrow at. "Whoever gets the six long ones will be the ones to go."

Once the picking is done, the team is: Wild Bill, Short-Fuze, Steeler, Thunder, Blowtorch, and Tripwire. "Alright, the six of you will go with a small group sent on Gen. Abernathy's orders." Duke tells them. "So load up and move out, Joes."

"Yo Joe!" The six say as they leave for the armory.

* * *

After watching the footage Cobra took of her and Flint's undercover work, she is then shown footage of some of her past roles; one commercial for jewelry, another for a shoe store, as an extra in a few shows and movies, before Xamot pops back up. "It took some doing, but finding the name behind the face was worth it."

Lady-Jaye folds her arms and turns away. "No comment." She says, then thinks to herself.

Flashback, 1979.

After walking off stage of a soap opera, Alison, who's hair was about as long as Scarlett's and in a ponytail, walks into the break room with some others and makes for the coffee pot. "I call first dibs, guys." She says while ignoring the half-hearted protests.

As she is pouring it, her attention is diverted by the radio. "-e can see now, the first group of people back from their captivity in Iran is exiting the plane, we'll try to get some statements from them...welcome back; can you give us some details of the conditions back there, please?"

"Al-All i have to say is that i pray for this to end soon."

"...And there you have it, both a vague and clear indication of what is occurr-." She hears before the cup starts to overflow. "Ah, hot!" She shouts.

"You uh, you want some ice for that, Ali?" Another girl asks her.

"No, i got it, Kate; thanks though." She replied as she places her hand under a faucet.

A couple minutes later, she heads into the directors office. "Need something, Burnett?" He asks, while looking at some folder.

"Yes; this will be sudden, but i want to switch jobs."

End flashback.

* * *

At the carwash, the Joes, and Abernathy's group are inside a modified semi a few yards away. "Ah still ain't comfortable havin' a top officeh so close to da action, let alone two of 'em." Wild Bill says to the Gen. and Col.

"I'd agree fully were i in your position, son; but as your team's backer, i deserve to know how you Joes do things." Gen. Abernathy tells him. "And besides, Lady-Jaye's predicament, just like the others she's been in, is partially my doing."

"Just be sure not to put too much weight on your shoulders, sirs." Thunder tells him, and mentions how Lady-Jaye once told him about the test she was put through.

"Did she now...Guess I'm acting more like a parent then a military official right now." The Gen. says, while rubbing the back of his head, then turns. "But enough about that...Commence operation."

Inside the carwash, Tripwire is passing his scanner back and forth. "You getting anything on that doodad?" Steeler asks him.

"There's definitely a hollow space un...doodad?" Tripwire asks indignantly.

"Knock it off; there has to be a trap door here somewhere." Short-Fuze tells them while leaning against a valve, which he slips on, causing a slight tremor.

"Or noat." Blowtorch says as the whole floor descends.

* * *

In Joe H.Q., Flint is in the monitor room watching Wild Bill inform Duke of the find when Gung-Ho turns his head. "Yoo gonna keep doin' dat, sir?" Flint only looks at him and raised a brow. "Yoo keep scrapin' it laik dat, yer gonna stert losin' skin." Gung-Ho explains, making him look at his right upper arm.

"Oh...right, thanks." Flint replied.

"Oh...right; mah ass!" Gung-Ho says, and points his thumb at himself. "Yoo ain't da only one doin' aneh worryin; dun't ferget, ah been chained up wit' her, so ah know exactleh wut Lady-Jaye's going through."

* * *

Back with Lady-Jaye, she has finished examining her "cell", which is more like a high-price hotel suite. "Do you find it to your liking?" Xamot asks her.

"It doesn't matter what it's made of; a cage is still a cage, one i will get out of." She replied while rubbing her fingers on a dish towel, still wondering if he's even remotely nearby.

"You keep telling yourself that." He tells her, while she notices she feels hungry.

"I can atleast be sure they won't have this poisoned; since I'm the only thing keeping them alive." She thinks to herself. Once she starts eating, however, she feels herself getting warmer. "Wha-what's happe-" She asks herself, then gulps as she realizes. "An aphrod...That sick bas-!" She tells herself as she falls to the floor and starts moaning and yelping as arousal, disgust at herself, and a mix of anger and fear all swirl about within her.

Through a camera in the room's corner, Xamot zooms in while she unwillingly fondles herself under her clothes. After a few moments, "I think that's enough." He tells himself, then picks up a phone. "We'll have do this over; let in the gas."

A while later, Lady-Jaye wakes up in a bed. "Where the hell am i?" After getting out of the bed, Lady-Jaye looks around. "Scarlett...Mallory?" She called out. "Just me then; super." She tells herself before sighing, then notices a camera in an upper corner behind some glass and walks up to it. "I'm not sure what you want, snake breath, but you sure as hell aren't gonna get it!" She shouts, then raises a middle finger to it. Following that, a door opens to show a robot with a TV screen built in. After Xamot explains the situation for what she is unaware is the second time, she balks. "And you think I'm just going to accept this?" She asks him.

With an unnerving grin, he changes the view of his face to a recording of her touching herself on the floor. "Wha...What the hell did you do to me, you sick son of a bitch?!" She yells, then takes a chair and throws it at the ceiling camera, only for it to bounce off the glass, which was probably bulletproof as well, not that she had a sidearm.

"If you don't want this to be sent to your headquarters, you will accompany me to a minor get-together in New York." Xamot tells her, while waving a VHS, mentally congratulating himself for recording it considering the "distraction", and for not having invested in Betamax like Destro did.

"...If all you wanted was a date..." Lady-Jaye says, wanting to gag. "You could have just asked." She finished. "Freak." She adds under her breath, imagining herself oh so slowly squeezing the life out of him. She is then directed to another door which is to a walk-in closet, and despite her anger, she is awestruck by all the outfits before she shakes her head. "No, don't fall for it Alison, they may look nice, but it's all from blood money." She tells herself, then keeps looking around and notes that not only are there top dollar dresses, but even some costumes she wore back when she was still an actress.

* * *

At the "carwash", the four Joes raise the lift back up and report the find. "Understood." Gen. Abernathy says to them, and turns to some regular army troops. "Capt. Lyndon, you and your squad will accompany the Joes in finding what's down there."

"Yes, sir." They all say.

"Dismissed."

Once down, they head over to a door, big enough for a vehicle. "Tripwire, any snakes on da otha side a' dat?" Wild Bill asks as the other Joe pressed his detector against it.

"Nope, it's all clear." Tripwire replied.

"Ok; Adams, take point." Capt. Lyndon orders, and watches as he opens it. "You see anything in there?"

Adams turns his AN/PVS-7 on, and nods after looking down. "Got some tire tracks turning-" He starts, and checks his compass. "-north-east, sir."

"Copy that." Capt. Lyndon said, and turns to Wild Bill. "After you?"

"We're all on da same side, so we'll jes' mosey on in togetha like, Capt. Lets get a move on." He replies. The two teams head in, and follow the tracks for a quarter mile before Short-Fuze notices movement.

"Take cover!" He shouts as they start getting shot at.

"Return fire!" Lyndon orders as he pulls a grenade pin and throws it.

"Keep your heads down!"/"Yo Joe!"/"Two more on the right!"/"I got one o-!"/"Matthews is hit, I'm dragging him back!"/"Covery fire!"/"Reload!"

When the shooting stops, the Joes and Lyndon's squad check what's what. "Short-Fuze, ya done got a mark on yer side." Wild Bill says, pointing to his left.

"You and Cpl. Fisher, take Matthews back up top." Lyndon orders. After counting 8 Crimson Guardsmen; six men, two women, the group continues on and finds a fork in the road...Four tunnels, all collapsed.

"Damn varmints, dat firefight was jes' fer hiding da noise." Wild Bill says aloud and throws his hat down.

* * *

At Joe H.Q., Duke is being informed of the ruse. "I see...Well, we'll have to try another approach; thanks anyway, sirs. Duke out." He says and salutes before Gen. Abernathy shuts the feed off. "Breaker, call everyone to the briefing room, and call for Dr. Rich."

"Ok, Duke."

On the way to the room, Duke speaks with the psychologist. "Stalker and Scarlett haven't had much luck finding the mole, or if there even is one."

"...And?" Dr. Rich says, not sure what he's getting at.

"I want you to try hypnosis on everyone who Lady-Jaye has spoken with just before she and the other two left." Duke explained.

"But sir, that could be the whole base." The Dr. tells him, and flinches as he grabs his arm.

"I don't care if you have to do it to everyone in the whole damn state; get going, that's an order."

In the briefing room.

"Joes, I'm afraid Wild Bill's team hit a dead end." Duke tells them, mouthing an apology to Flint, who nods. "Which means we will need to try again; I made a request to an old friend, one who mentioned noticing some Cobra activity in Sacramento at this location."

"Old friend?" Deep Six asks while looking at Ace, who shrugs.

"Who does he mean?" Clutch asks them.

"That would be Sparks, who for those who are unaware, resigned about a year ago." Duke explains, to the delight of everyone but Clutch and Grunt, who didn't know him. "Just like last time, we will draw straws."

Once the picking is done, the winners are: Airtight, Roadblock, Snake-Eyes, Flash, Bazooka, and Cover-Girl.

* * *

When the second team arrives at the site in what looks like a moving van, they see it looks like an ordinary house. "At the safe house, Duke, it's quiet as a mouse." Roadblock says into a mini-radio on his overall's collar.

"For now, atleast." Flash mumbles from in the back.

"Can it, Flash, just focus on "fixing" their security camera." Duke tells him.

"Consider it done." Flash says, and hacks into their system.

"How's this going to work exactly?" Cover-Girl asks as she and Snake-Eyes lean over his shoulder.

"First, stop that; second, I'm setting the footage on a two second loop so they won't notice Airtight." He tells them.

"Gonna do somethin'? Bazooka asks the chemist.

"Sure, i got just the thing." He says, as he holds a wooden cutout.

That ought to work. Snake-Eyes says through his notepad.

"It better; cost me six packs of Big Red, and a promise not to product test on the M.P.'s for a year to let me get my hands on Duke's paint." Airtight tells them on his way out. He sets it up and tosses a pebble at the door.

"Fricken kids, i told you not t...What the shit?" A man asks as he sees a caricature of Cobra Commander holding a sign saying "I'm with sssstupid", with an arrow pointing at a mirror. "You there...Who's the asshole left this here?!" He yells to the moving van.

"That's our cue to make 'em black and blue." Roadblock says, then gets out.

"Yo Joe!"

Inside the house, a Tele-Viper is watching them rush in, his visor reading: Aw, crap-o-rama! He signals another farther away, who rushes for Cobra Commander, who is in a meeting.

"What iss the statuss of the raygun your people are working on, Desstro?" He asks.

"At 82%, My dear Cobra Commander. We can expect it by the end of the year." He replies.

"Excellent." Cobra Commander says as he looks to Dr. Mindbender. "And what of your efforts to improve our Eel's?"

"Getting closer, Commander; Subject 11 managed to survive nine days."

The Commander is about to reply when the Tele-Viper enters. "Sir, safe-house 64 is under attack."

"What?!, Dammit!" He yells. "Activate the remote self-des-" He continues before a screen come on with the Joes.

"Looks like we got yo attention, so hand over our companion." Roadblock tells them.

"What are you talking about, you overgrown gorilla?; We don't have any of you prisoner." Cobra Commander says before looking over his shoulder two seconds later. "Do we?"

"That's bullshit!" Cover-Girl says outloud, shoving Roadblock and Snake-Eyes aside. "Tell us where the Crims took Lady-Jaye before i come over there and beat it out of you."

"That's preposterous. I gave them no such order!" Cobra Commander says back before turning around. "...Or has somebody decided to act preemptively...To~max?"

"Your accusation is baseless, Commander; however, this would explain why Xamot's chosen to go silent for that excursion he mentioned." The remaining twin says while holding his hands up.

* * *

Chapter three. Read and review.


	4. S&R part 2

Third wave.

Disclaimer: Skymaster23 owns no part of A&F, or Colt's firearms.

* * *

After informing the Joes of Xamot's clearly false request, he has a discussion with Tomax. "How can you not be aware of that damned missserable excuse for a rubber boned gerbil brother of yours has done?!, How dare he go off and capture an enemy agent without telling me...how dare he!" He yells as he overturns the table.

"You know, i could make a rubber gerbil and fit it with an explosive compound, Commander." Dr. Mindbender offers.

"Shut up!, Can't you ssee I'm busy dealing with a deser...Well maybe; but this is hardly the time for sssuch a thing!" Cobra Commander tells him after giving it some thought. "Aside from that; i order you to exxplain, Tomax!"

* * *

In the Joe's machine shop, Scarlett is measuring one of her new crossbow bolts with a caliper, and thinks back on the ambush again after putting it down.

Flashback.

The trio have just passed the gate in her car when McCabe speaks up. "Which store we going to first?"

Scarlett thinks for a second. "How about the A&F across from the salon." She answered.

"Soonds good to me."/"Same here, need some new stockings and buttons." McCabe and Lady-Jaye say, before the latter turns to the former.

"Buttons?"

"Aye; i, uh, lost thaem in one of thae W.H.A.L.E's."

"...Heh; lost them to who?" Before McCabe can answer, the three feel a jolt. "What the heck w-Where'd that van come from?!" Lady-Jaye asks aloud as she looks back.

After Scarlett turns the car off road, she notices a part of the road lowering, "Look, a hidden door!"

"How loong's that been thaere?" McCabe asks them.

"Doesn't matter; Brownie, under the seat!" Scarlett says, and McCabe watches Lady-Jaye raise the cushion to show a hidden locker, out of which she passes her a Colt Double Eagle, then one to Scarlett, before taking one for herself.

The chase goes on as Lady-Jaye leans out and gets some shots off. "Crap, damn thing's bulletproof!" She shouts.

Scarlett then sees something up ahead. "C.L.A.W.'s incoming, 11 o'clo-" She says, giving a grunt as the two flyers take potshots at them. "If i didn't know any better, I'd say they were missing on purpose!" She adds.

"Guess you should pull over before they change their minds." Lady-Jaye tells her.

"What minds?" Scarlett says back as she does as suggested.

Once their attackers do the same, the trio size them up. "All Crimson guardsmen, and they haeve us a bit out naembered here, sairs." McCabe says, in a nervous tone.

"I feel sorry for them too, kiddo." Lady-Jaye says, with a smirk to keep the Greenshirt's spirit up.

"Let's make whoever's left carry our bags." Scarlett says, then starts rushing them. "Yo Joe!" After four minutes of fighting, Scarlett sees Lady-Jaye do a leg sweep on one of the Crims and ran a hand through her hair before a round comes from out of nowhere and strikes her in the chest. "Al~i~son!" She screams, before two of them grab her and McCabe from behind, having feigned their being knocked out, and place chloroform rags over their mouths.

End flashback.

As Scarlett heads to a metal dye machine to make another batch of bolts, Rock 'n Roll taps her on the shoulder. "You need something, Rock?"

"Just to say Roadblock's reported in, seems there's a break in the case." He tells her with a grin.

In the monitor room, Scarlett rushes in, and walks over to Duke, who has Cobra Commander on the screen. "What's this i hear about a new lead?"

"Didn't Rock 'n Roll tell you?" He asks her, but she blanches.

"Er, I must have cut him off when i started running." She tells him.

"Runnin' in da machine shop?...Wut kin'a discipline yuh cawl dat?!" Beachhead asks Duke and Flint as he points at Scarlett.

"Enough of your yammering; asss i was saying, Tomax hasss informed me of his brother's dupliccity in this matter." Cobra Commander tells them.

"And by that?" Duke asks him, only for Tomax himself to explain.

"Several hours ago, Xamot informed us that he was leaving for a conference in Kuwait."

"Which i assume was yesterday; at some point before 1115 hours?" Flint asks him.

"Precisely; and be aware that this is in no way connected to the incident on Socrates yacht." Tomax replied.

"That mean you know of Mr. Aertes?" Duke asks him.

"I'll admit his ships have carried some of our products." Tomax replied. "We do have customers other than Cobra."

"Anyway, suppose we don't believe any of this?" Duke asked next.

"Good choice, but as a show of good faith, i will temporarily allow myself to be in your custody; it is only fair after the incident with the Baroness's shell, is it not?" Tomax asks him.

After huddling a few moments to discuss this with Flint and Beachhead, Duke responds. "We have a deal; but I'll have to inform our superiors of this first."

"Very well, but you only have 12 hourss; otherwise we will deal with thisss matter by ourselves." Cobra Commander tells them, and ends communication.

* * *

Back at Lady-Jaye's "cell", she is soaking in a tub when she hears Xamot's voice on the ceiling's intercom. "Just so you know, we have four hours before the event, so do make yourself presentable, Alison."

"Boy, I'd like to make my foot presentable to his balls." She mumbled, then got out as she wondered how many known E.E. locations could be four hours flight time away from New York, and whether or not she was possibly above the Canadian border. After drying her hair and wrapping the towel around herself, she headed to the closet. "What are the guys waiting for?" She wondered.

"Lets see; fancy, or casual?" She asked under her breath, eventually settling on a teal tube dress with a black jacket over it. Once done she sees Xamot by the table. "You ready to go, my dear?" He asks, motioning to the door.

"Only thing I'm ready for is to kick your ass!" She tells him, and charges. She sends as many punches and kicks as her outfit allowed, only for him to dodge all of them, her anger and his longer experience with acrobatics giving him the advantage.

"Please settle down, or we'll miss our flight, Alison." He tells her with a big grin, just like the one during the shell incident when he kissed her.

"Don't fucking call me that; you don't...have...the right!" She yelled while throwing one last punch, only for him to lock her arm behind her back.

"Do be sure not to try that again, that outfit is worth 9 times what you make in a year." He tells her, then lets her go. "And please try some of the jewelry before we head for our limo, Alison."

With a sneer, she walks over to the nightstand by the bed. She opens a drawer and finds a small box, then randomly takes a necklace and two earrings before leaving with one thought as Xamot hooks his arm with hers. "Flint, where are you?"

* * *

At a look-out post at Joe. H.Q., Greenshirt Nash sees a blip on the radar screen. "Nash here; Cobra copter approaching."

"Understood, and remember; take no aggressive action unless they fire first." Abernathy says, as he and almost everyone else head outside.

"You certain about this, sir?" Flint asks him.

"Flint's rait, ah'm the betteh choice for dis, General." Beachhead said next, holding up one crutch. "Easieh fer me tuh escape wit' dese thangs."

When the helicopter lands, Wild Weasel turns to Tomax, who also brought Storm Shadow, and a Blueshirt. "Sure is a big audience, isn't it?"

"Just goes to show how...important...that lady is to them." Tomax replies as he jumps out.

"With her looks, can ya blame 'em?" The Blueshirt asks, causing Wild Weasel to elbow him in the arm.

"You got yourself a deathwish or something?; if so, leave the rest of us out of it."

As the exchange is being made, Duke gets a call on his walkie talkie. "Yeah?"

"Sir, this is Dr. Rich; I've finished with Ripcord's "questioning", but Tanizaki from the quartermaster's isn't in the waiting room."

"Tanizaki...I see her over by Shipwr-General, look out!" Duke yells, seeing Haruna get a knife out. She lunges at Gen. Abernathy, only for Col. Hawkins to grab her and get stabbed in the gut, after which Shipwreck wrestles her to the ground.

"Holy shit!"/"Hawkin's!"/"Did dat jes' happen?!"/"You'll never find her, you hear, never!"/"Haruna?...You backstabbing bitch!"/"How long's she been one of them?"

After checking her for any more weapons; Shipwreck, along with Quick-Kick, get her on her feet. "Looks like we found our mole, Duke."

With a small nod to Quick-Kick, Duke looks back and asks how bad it is. "...He's gone." The General replied, not looking up.

"Sorry, sir...Doc, head back inside; get a stretcher an-and a bodybag." Duke says, then angrily looks to Tomax. "Care to explain a few things?"

"...You three; lay all your weapons down now." The scarless twin orders his companions. "They may not be worth much, but you have our condolences." He says. "Clearly, my brother is more serious about this scheme of his than i thought."

After a glance with Duke and Beachhead, Flint folds his arms. "So what now, and how is it you can be unaware, anyway?"

"Yeah, ain't yuh suppose tuh have some sert'a mental connection?" Beachhead asked next.

"It is possible for us to block it; but it requires a great deal of concentration, so we've only done it once before." Tomax explains. "All I've gotten from him since this started is two seconds worth of something he found...exciting,...i guess."

"Excit...I wonder; if i break your neck, would that kill him too?" Flint asked, causing Tomax to glance nervously to Gen. Abernathy.

"Flint, stand down, that's an order!" He says, while Doc and Simmons take the Col.'s body away.

"...Yes, sir." Flint replied.

Following that, Duke speaks up. "How should we deal with this "barricade" of his, then?"

"What about me, Duke?" Airborne asks.

"That's right, he's got that ESPN thingy, too." Dusty says next, before being corrected.

"Good idea, son; but would it work, Tomax?" Gen. Abernathy asked.

"Hmm, we will need to adjust our mental "frequencies", but it is do-able."

* * *

Infront of the skyscraper, Xamot and Lady-Jaye exit the second limo and head to the desk. "Xamot, party of two." He says to the clerk.

"Um, right this way, sir; ma'am." The clerk says.

Inside, Lady-Jaye sees various people she recognizes from TV and magazine covers, all the upper-crust type, and focuses on all her acting skills to blend in. On the way to a table, Xamot stops and holds his head. "What was that just now?" She asks him quietly, genuinely curious.

"Oh, nothing; don't worry your pretty little head over it, my dear." He replies, making her scowl and huff, then both take a seat. "They're on to me, best speed this up." He thinks, before another couple walk up, making him roll his eyes.

"Good to see you, uh..." A man, who Lady-Jaye recognizes as a real-estate mogul who's presence she can't help but compare to a certain tin-faced commander for some strange reason, says to him.

"Xamot; and the answer's still no." He says in a bored tone.

"Eh, don't be like that." The man says, then turns his gaze between the two a couple times. "Who's, uh, who's your date; i feel like I've seen her somewhere before." He says.

"Probably just your imagination; I'm just another face in the crowd." She tells him.

"Well, maybe, but it's weird, since I'm usually so good at telling faces apart, believe me." He replies, then turns back to Xamot; while brushing his fingers against Lady-Jaye's upper leg. "Anyway, about this deal we've been discussing?"

Noticing her clench a fist out of the corner of her eye, Xamot interrupts him. "I'm afraid i must once again decline; now please, leave us be." He says, while narrowing his gaze fiercely. As the man and his companion leave, he turns to Lady-Jaye. "I'm extremely sorry about that, he just doesn't know how to bow out gracefully."

"I guess...thanks for that; and only that." She tells him quietly, and he stands.

"Perhaps i can make it up to you?"

"As if, it'll take a million years to get over this humiliation, you overpriced slinky."

"So a dance is out of the question?"

She is about to tell him off again, when she notices someone out the window. Someone tapping an apple against the window from behind, who glances back and winks, then holds five fingers up. Lady-Jaye gives a nod; both to Xamot, and to the disguised Scarlett. "Fine, but just a short one." She tells him.

* * *

Outside, Scarlett heads to a phone booth, and picks up the handset to hide her speaking to her coat collar. "Sierra to Foxtrot; timer is set."

Down below, Flint responds. "Copy that, Sierra. Things are looking up." He says, then turns to his team: Gung-Ho, Tomax, Alpine, Storm-Shadow, and Spirit.

Only for an unknown voice to speak up. "Yer a couple yards off, if ya want in with dem fatcats, 大个子*"

"Wut?"/"Who's there?"/"Anyone see him?"

"Over here, cap'n." A short young man says from his seat on a drain lip.

"One of yours?" Flint and Tomax ask each other.

"Nah, just yer local tunnel-rat, Cap'n; name's Nicky Lee." The person says, with a two finger salute.

"Warrant Officer, not Captain." Flint corrected.

"And what's this about being off course?" Alpine asked.

"Just dat i know a place where da floor's thinneh; about 4 yards datta way." Nicky tells them as he shrugged, then headed left.

"Think we ken trust dat lil guy, Flint?" Gung-Ho asks.

"I sense no ill will from him." Spirit says.

"Nor do i, however it maybe due to the foul greed above us blinding us." Storm Shadow added.

"...Follow him." Flint tells them after a few seconds, and tells Gung-Ho to break a hole in the ceiling with his "baby".

"Where are we, exactly, young man?" Tomax asks, seeing a room with debris, while Gung-Ho picks a small can.

"Ol' Bohemian?; Dis thang's from da 50's."

"Uh-huh; used to be an air raid shelter back when dis joint was still just a hat store." Nicky tells them as they plan their next move. "While i got no clue what ya want here, I'll give ya a hand."

"How you gonna do that, kid?" Alpine asks him as he raises an eyebrow.

* * *

Back on the dance floor, the pair finish. "Time's up, buster; so if you'll excuse me-" She says, and turns to leave, only for Xamot to grab her wrist.

"Don't i even get a goo-" He says, when the fire alarm goes off.

"Fire!"/"Everybody out!"/"Me first, out of my way!" Is heard from the assorted guests.

A worker runs up to Xamot. "Sir, G24 says we have company, your orders?"

"Stall them, by any means; all except Tomax." Xamot says to him, and Lady-Jaye gasps.

* * *

After Nicky leaves while cackling, Flint gives out the orders after gunning down two disguised Crims. "Spirit, you and Storm' lead some of them upstairs." He says, then turns to Alpine and Gung-Ho. "You two, same thing, just outside; Yo Joe!"

"Yo Joe!" The Joes say, while the other two say nothing, and split up.

The first two head for the stairwell, where Spirit shouts out. "Paalà taaho**, you slither blindly!"

"Huh?; Over there!"/"What'd he call us?"/"Who cares, let's get 'em!" The Crims say, and start chasing them upstairs.

After fighting their way up four floors, the two are surrounded, but not beaten. "Those who wish to die, show me your necks!" Storm-Shadow tells them, before a door is kicked open, showing Gung-Ho, Scarlett, and Alpine.

"Sorry we're late, fella's; Yo Joe!"

* * *

Downstairs, Flint and Tomax find the mission objective...and thirty more guardsmen. "By my order, lay down your weapons now!" Tomax says, but to no avail.

"Sorry Mr. Tomax, but we've been ordered to answer to Mr. Xamot." One of them says as they lead him away.

"Kindly explain to us, brother...what the hell you're up to before i beat my face in!" Tomax yells, more than willing at this point to injure himself so long as Xamot feels it.

"Lady-Jaye, your alive after all!" Flint says to her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes; I'm fine!" She says back with a big smile on her face.

"How touching...Too bad the same can't be said for you." Xamot says next, as he motions for his troops to place Flint on his knees.

At this point, the other five show up. "Upper floor's are all...shit." Alpine says, before they are disarmed.

"Kisama!, You dare to turn on your allies and your own brother?" Storm Shadow asks as he placed next to Tomax.

"Oh, come now, we both know Cobra has no such thing; and i would gladly leave it behind." Xamot says, before turning to Lady-Jaye, and puts a hand under her chin. "If you would agree to leave your side as well, my dear."

"Get your mitts away from her, you assho-gah!" Flint shouts before taking a knee to the ribs.

"Dashiell!" Lady-Jaye screamed, tears running down her face. "Stop it, I'm begging you, pl~e~ase don't hurt him!"

"Him?...Could it be that you have feelings for him?" Xamot asks, as his eyes pass between the two.

"I...yes, i love him, i admit~it." She tells him. "Even~if it gets us thr~thrown out of the service, I'll never stop."

While holding his injury, Flint looks up once he hears the words he waited so long from her, and grins through the pain, barely registering the other's reactions.

Xamot pauses to think, then turns. "All surviving personnel...disengage and get them on their feet." He ordered, and the guardsmen look about in confusion before obeying.

"What?, That's it, no fake?" Alpine asks Xamot, who watches Lady-Jaye run to Flint as fast as she can. Watching the two hold each other so tightly, he sighs, finally accepting he can never have her.

"It's bad for business not to know when to give in every once and a while; but be aware that next time we meet, Lady-Jaye, it will be as an enemy." He replies, and drops a smoke bomb, leaving a package behind.

"Whoa...Do we go after him, sir?" Scarlett asks Flint.

"Yeah, an' wut'd he leave buhind?" Gung-Ho asks, opening it up. "A video tape?"

"Uh, better let me have that, Gung-Ho." Lady-Jaye says while taking it out of his hand, then stomps on it before kicking what was left. "...Don't ask."

* * *

Back at Joe H.Q., after a full medical check up, Lady-Jaye is in the briefing room with Gen. Abernathy and the three commanders. She tells them everything, except for what was on the tape she destroyed. "-and that's what happened, General." She finishes.

"I see, think we should have Dr. Rich give you a once over?" He asks her.

"It would help after hearing how Haruna was a Crimson Guardsmen; i mean we suspected she was a spy, but only for the Chinese." She tells them, "Good thing most of what we told her was fake."

"Uh, when was that, exactly?" Duke asks her.

"Remember that vacation she took after the thing with the solar power station?" She asks.

"Yeah...why?" He asks next.

"Well, she came back with a darker eye color." She explained.

"...So she was likely executed." Gen. Abernathy says.

"We'll have to do some snooping first, so better to let her family she's M.I.A. for now, sir." Lady-Jaye tells him.

"Alright. That concludes the debriefing, dismissed." He says, and as they walk out, Beachhead turns to Flint.

"Jes' let dis be a lesson to yuh about sub paragraph 4-14." He tells him. "If ah was da one in charge here, it'd be-"

* * *

At the same time, at the unfinished Cobra base, Xamot is being led to Cobra Commander's war room after watching the thirty troops from earlier be executed as punishment for his actions. "Xamot, you had better have a good explanation for your insssolence." He says, in a tone of warning.

"I do have some information on one of the Joe commanders." Xamot replies.

"Out with it, and pray that it isss good enough for me to not kill you perssssonally!" Cobra Commander demands.

* * *

Chapter four. Read and review.

*Big fella in Chinese.

**Red snake in Hopi(i think)


	5. Post-op part three

Third wave.

* * *

While Lady-Jaye was on her way to the infirmary to meet with Rich, Gen. Abernathy and Duke are headed to the former's jet. "You sure you need to go so soon, sir?, You'll miss Jaye's welcome back party." Duke asks him.

Shaking his head, the Gen. replies, "I'd like to stay, son, but there's this construction project that Sharp and some programming specialist, Dr. ham...something, are working on; me and some other higher-ups want to see what it's about."

"Oh...alright then; so long, sir." Duke replies, then heads back inside.

* * *

In the base commissary, Roadblock is fixing up the party food (shipped in by Miss West) with Shipwreck, Flash, Zap, Barbecue, Grunt, Cover-Girl, and a couple of Green-shirts. "How long do i want to set this pot roast for, again?" Grunt asks aloud.

"Just toss it in for an hour or two." Zap answered while getting some pasta noodles.

"No, don't listen to him, it has to be for 1 1/2 hours exactly." Flash said next, while Shipwreck goes over a cake recipe.

"Let's see, gotta separate the eggs; no problem!"

Hearing that, Roadblock looks up from a sashimi dish he learned during the earthquake bomb ordeal, and points at him. "Yes there is!, If ya put 'em at either side of that table, yo face be meeting my ladle!"

"Aw, settle down, i wasn't gonna; besides, I'd rather put something else on thi-" Shipwreck was saying while turning his head towards Cover-Girl, only to see her holding a rolling pin while glaring at him.

"You finish that sentence and I'll turn you into fish paste, swabbie."

"Eep, um; aye, aye, ma'am sir!"

After that, Duke enters and walks into the kitchen to see Roadblock checking on Barbecue, who was placing a salmon Bazooka caught a few days before the abduction, on a pan. "You got that burner on way too high, this ain't Chinese food, dude!" He promptly makes an about-face and heads to a table where Scarlett is with Langdon, Simmons, McCabe, and Stall. Langdon, who was across from Scarlett, notices him and points him out.

"Oh; General's flight left, i take it?" Scarlett asks him.

"Yeah, mentioned a side-project before he boarded; but other than that, i have something else on my mind." He replied, in an odd tone.

Scarlett raises an eyebrow, then turns to the other four and excuses herself. "I assume this is something you want to say in private?"

"It is..the outdoor rec-room?"

"Works for me."

The pair head outside to the spot, and they set up two chairs facing each other. "This about what happened with Flint and Jaye?" She asks him.

"It is...ever since i first heard, I've couldn't stop thinking about if it had been you taken instead." Duke replied.

After a few seconds, Scarlett looks to him. "Is this going where i think it's going?" She asked.

"Afraid so...I'm going to have to tell the others to hold off on all the hanky-panky around here; and..." He starts.

"That includes you and me." She finished with a sigh. "They won't like it."

"Nobody except Beachhead; but we'll all just have to get used to it...I'm sorry, really." He tells her, but she leans forward and places a hand on his.

"You don't have to apologize, i understand; and thanks for caring." She tells him.

* * *

At the Cobra base, Xamot finishes his report. "So yeh had the lady on the floor wrigglin' like a fish, and all yeh did was watch on a camera like a conch?" Bludd asks while Cobra Commander argues with the Baroness over how she didn't find that much out.

"Yeah, i don't get it; why go through all the trouble if you don't go for it?" Scrap Iron asked next.

Xamot answers with a huff, "I held back because i didn't want to risk being in arms length for too long."

"I guess that makes sense." Scrap Iron replies. "But why did you leave Tomax out of it?"

"Yes, why did you block me out, brother?" The scarless twin asks.

"Because he prefers blonds and is lousy at keeping secrets, that's why." Xamot answered.

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Name o-"

"Summer festival."

"...That only happened once, and it was because you dared me!"

* * *

Back at Joe H.Q., Flint and his team meet Lady-Jaye outside the infirmary. "All done in there, guys." She says to them.

"Gud tuh hear, Lady Jaye; We gots some eats downstairs fer ya." Gung-Ho says, and slaps her on the back.

"Sounds alright to me, all those high rollers had back there was more a feast for the eyes than anything else." She says back.

"Then let us make haste." Spirit says, only for Freedom to take off first.

"No way, bird, you are not gonna get one up on me!" Alpine shouts as he follows.

"Alpine, slow down!" Flint shouts, then looks back to her. "You sure you're all better?"

"I told you I'm all over it, you worry too much." She tells him, then rushes off a few yards and looks back. "Last one there is a rotten snake egg!" she says, and sticks her tongue out and laughs before running again.

* * *

Chapter five. Read and review.


	6. Bombshell

Third Wave.

* * *

The next day, in late evening due to the whole base sleeping off the meal, Duke calls Flint and Beachhead to his office. "What's the word?" Flint asked for both.

Duke looks up and mumbles before speaking. "I'm planning an announcement, one that I can tell you now, no one on base is gonna be rooting for." He tells them.

"Them big apple folks ain't callin' fer us tuh disband afteh dat ruckus he caused, are dey?!" Beachhead asks, pointing at Flint, who rolls his eyes.

"I keep telling you, Beachhead, it was a local who pulled that alarm."

"Either way, that's not it; I'm giving a basewide order to reinforce the no-frat rule." Duke tells them, to which Flint sighs, and Beachhead claps.

"Gud tuh see dis place finally turnin' into a militareh installation." The latter says with a big grin.

"I'll have to break it to **her** slowly." Flint says to himself before looking up again. "I wonder how Scarlett'll react to this?"

"Oh, I told her about it yesterday; she took it well enough, atleast on the outside." Duke replied.

"The problem is everyone else, then." Flint says aloud.

"Nameleh dat gud fer nuttin' swabbie and dem otheh skirt chashehs." Beachhead added.

After a few seconds of thought, Duke speaks up. "Best to get this over with."

"Think we should get some riot gear first?" Flint asks after shaking his head.

"Either that, or spend the next month in one of the Maulers." Duke replied as he stood up. In the assembly room, Duke is at the podium with the other two at either side. "May I have your attention please...I know there are many of you who, one way or another, find yourself a bit closer to one person on base than you are to the others, as happened with Tollbooth and Dr. Blackstone earlier this year." He says first, and notices several Joes look uncomfortable. "After much deliberation, we have decided that AR 600-20, paragraph 4-14 will be followed much more thoroughly."

The other Joes respond. "Aw, that's no fair!"/"That's bogus, man!"/"Nice while it lasted."/"Boo!"

Beachhead stomps one of his crutches on the stage floor. "Quiet down rait naw, Joes, dat's an ordeh!" He shouts.

* * *

In the base's indoor rec-room, the non-Joes also hear the announcement. "¡No puedo creerlo!" Lavigne says aloud while he and Green-shirt Stall are leaning against each other while watching a basketball game.

"You think that's for real?" Green-shirt Indiana asks, having his turn at the billiards table interrupted.

"Must be because of that abduction earlier; sorry Chris." Stall says as she gets up.

"Wait, hold it querida!...Damn!" Lavigne says, then pounds the couch's armrest.

* * *

Chapter six. Read and review.


	7. Downtime part twenty-seven

Third wave.

* * *

A week and a half later, Airborne and Flash stop at a government lab to visit the former's brother. "Still don't know about you making me come with." Flash says to the pilot, who turns right.

"It's fine; lightning doesn't strike twice."

Eventually, Airborne stops and the two walk up to the main building, where a researcher is waiting. "Been expecting you, sirs."

The two are taken to a room where Tommy is with some other ESP users and researchers. Without looking, one of the users turns to him. "Tom, they're here." She says, making him set down the five Rubix cubes he's working on.

"Hi there, Airborne; you too, Mr. Flash." Tommy says to them.

"Sorry it took so long, been busy with-" Airborne starts to say.

"With that spear lady from the old lab being kidnapped; glad she's okay." Tommy finished for him. "Wendy mentioned it incase you're wondering, she's got precognition."

"That's where you see the future, right?" Flash asks him while raising an eyebrow.

"Flash, you saw what he can do, and you still act like that?" Airborne asks him.

"Picking up plastic squares, maybe; but knowing how anything and everything will react beforehand, right down to the second?-" Flash says.

"Not buying it." Wendy finishes at the same time.

"Eh...You...that was just a lucky guess!" Flash says back while folding his arms and looking away.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Mr. Flash." One of the researchers tells him. "Wendy, give an event in 1990, please."

"In..."

"Hmm, how about technology."

"Ok...Feb 28, the ARPANET is decommissioned."

The two Joes look at each other. "Think Breaker'll throw a fit?" Airborne asks, and Flash shrugs.

"Well, he might like this one game series coming out in '96." She tells them.

"Anything else happen then?" He asks next.

"Well, the Soviet Union will collapse just a few days before 1992." She tells them.

"What?...We heard it's not going so well for the red's in Afghanistan, but that much?" Flash says aloud while rubbing his chin.

"You'll also make a call in a few seconds." She says, and his pager goes off.

"Uh, right, 'scuse me." Flash tells them, and gets to a phone. When he comes back, he tells Airborne something is happening at the base.

As they turn to leave, Wendy gives one last prediction. "Before you go: In 1989, beware the forest beneath the ice!"

"What'd she say?" Flash asks.

"Not sure. Something about mice, maybe." Airborne tells him.

* * *

Chapter seven. Read and review.


	8. Battlefield confusion

Third wave.

Disclaimer: Skymaster23 has no connection to any Miyazaki films.

* * *

Six minutes earlier, most of the base was watching a film* shipped in before the estimated foreign release date by Wire Cutter, who had Feedback; her team's version of Breaker, add subtitles. "Crazy looking planes they got, huh?" Ace asks aloud, and gets shushed by Green-shirt Nash, Quick-Kick, and Recondo.

"Awk, beats Shipwreck's sketches." Polly says, causing the sailor to reach for him and step on Frostbite's foot.

"Ow!; Will you sit down, fish for brains!?" He asks while shaking him, which puts everyone behind them in an uproar.

"Both of you sit down, we can't see the movie!"

* * *

Elsewhere, Stalker and Scarlett are in the intel room, monitoring international events. "How's it in North Africa?" She asks him.

"The 48th and the 20th TFW's are enroute for response; just passed over the channel." He replies from over his shoulder, referring to an event in Libya.

"Wonder if Rock and Thunder calmed down yet?" She asks next, about how they knew some of the men injured in the discotheque blast.

Stalker is about to shrug when the alarm goes off, and Green-shirt Sikorski is heard on the loudspeaker. "Cobra air raid incoming; all Joes, move out, this is not a drill!" The two look to each other before running for the armory.

Duke and his co-leaders enter the monitor room, where Breaker, who was watching the film from a security camera, takes a gulp as they rush toward him. "We'll discuss the alert lag later; how many birds?" Duke asks him. "And have Airborne and Flash recalled."

"Got it...counting six squads of Firebats escorting four Vulture transports." Breaker replies, then they see four objects fall from the side of the larger aircraft. "Breaker to all personnel; para-troopers on the way, pep for general quar-" He says into the mic, only to stop and zoom in on one of them.

"Ah dun't think dey're para-troops, fellas." Beachhead exclaimed.

Outside, Green-shirt Menninger watches the objects through some binoculars from his AA-battery. "What the heck; why put parachutes on bombs?"

* * *

Back while the transports were being loaded, Cobra Commander turns to Dr. Mindbender. "How iss your project, Dr.?"

"Not quite as planned, Commander, but i currently hafe 71 specimens ready." The Dr. tells him.

"Not quite?"

"Unfortunately, due to Operation: Dog House, and the work on the Terror Drome, i was unable to afford enough nitroglycerin, Commander; so i injected the gerbils with something else."

"You mean internally?" He asked.

"...Vhy?" Dr. Mindbender asked next after blinking at him.

"I said to infect them; as in powd...er." Cobra Commander says before seeing the planes taking off. "No, ssstop; come back here thisss instant!" He yells uselessly.

* * *

Back at the base, the "bombs" land. "Bomb squad; head over and find out that thing's made of." Duke ordered over the loudspeaker.

Tripwire approaches carefully with Green-shirts lead by Sgt. Beck while everyone else held back and watched Tripwire hover his scanner above the casing. "Anything, sir?" Green-shirt Beck asks him.

"Oddly enough, no." Tripwire says to him, checking for explosives: Nothing, Electricity: not enough, microphone:..."No ticking, just...squeaking?" He asks himself, and a hidden panel pops open, showing the contents, a hundred of them. "Whoa!, Look out, look out!"/"Why is it full of mice?!"/"I think they're gerbil's, Aaron."/"Does it look like i care?" The two say as they dodge the furry flood.

"Any ideas what Cobra's up to this...time?" Cover-Girl asks, as three of the critters jump on her vehicle. "And... since when do they jump this good?"

"Not a clue, but lets just get these little guys outta our hood." Roadblock replied.

"I got this one, man." Footloose says, only for it to jump much farther than it should have. "I don't got it."

"If i didn't know any better, I'd say these things were made of rubber." Deep-Six says while a few of them jump by at shoulder height.

"Pretty sure they are...check this out." Snow-Job tells him, and tosses one at a M.O.B.A.T.

"Haha, bouncy." Bazooka said while doing the same.

"You sure Cobra's a terrorist group, and not just a messed up toy company?" Clutch asks Thunder while wondering why he ever said yes to getting transferred.

"Bomb squad head back inside." Duke ordered in an annoyed tone, before two guard dogs attack the gerbils and starts to hack and vomit.

"Liberty, what's a'matter, gi-!" M.P. Olsen says before his dog falls over dead. "Liberty!"

"Duty...those freaks killed my dog!" Another yelled.

"Max, Chris, those rats must be poisoned somehow; move back, move back!" Mutt shouted, picking up Junkyard and running back inside.

"More...ordinance incoming; don't let them hit the ground, people!" Duke orders, and the AA fire starts up.

"Their gunners are distracted; squadrons 1 through 4, break formation and engage." The lead Vulture pilot ordered, and the enemy escorts go nose-down.

"Cobra!"

* * *

Back on the ground. "They're diving; all you guys, back inside, hurry!" Green-shirt Indiana shouts as he pivots an A.W.E. Striker's gun up. "Lets show 'em what this crankcase is made of; Yo Joe!"

One of the jets takes out a H.A.L. after Green-shirt Blais downs two others with it and runs off. Another is just about to squeeze off some rounds when it blows up. "Sorry we're late, Duke, the airbase we stopped at didn't have any Skystrikers, so these will have to do." Airborne says from a cockpit with the name Capt. Ron "Skyknight" Micheals on the outside. Flash is in an FA-18, while he is in a different one.

"Heh, I'll put it on your tab, Airborne; and what are you in, exactly?" Duke asks, looking at a jet he's never seen before, one with forward swept wings. He and the others in the room watch in awe as it brings down one of the Cobra "bombers" before the Firebats can even react.

"Oh, this? Didn't think i had enough time to ask before i borrowed it, but they, uh, they said it was a prototype." Airborne says, in a sheepish tone.

"You took a...You'd better not break whatever it is, or you're picking up the bodies with a tweezer!" Duke yelled. "Joes, fall back; Blowtorch, pass out the packs."

"One sec, Duke." Lady-Jaye says, taking one javelin out.

"Get back inside, that's an order." Flint tells her.

"Hush up or your sleeping on the couch again!" She replies, referring to the 4 day period where she stopped talking to him, and tosses it, releasing an electrified net. "Good job, Eleanor!" She tells herself before picking up some of the carcasses to give to Airtight.

Once back inside, Blowtorch, and some Green-shirts head out with flamethrowers. "Blowtorch ta Duke, we're headed oot now."

"Acknowledged." Duke replies, as he sees the men run around outside.

"Cam oon, laddies, we'll shoow these wee beasties who's in chaerge here; Yo Joe!" Blowtorch shouts as he and 7 others chase a bunch of Cobra's latest super weapon all over the place.

"Hey, Flint?" Duke asks while watching part of the obstacle course catch fire.

"Yeah?

"How much booze does it take to undo a 24 hour period?"

"...Let's find out." Flint replied as Beachhead futilely threw one of his crutches at a random Green-shirt chasing some more of the dying gerbils with a shout.

While the menace was being dealt with, Airtight is examining Duty's body and one of the gerbils Lady-Jaye handed to him. "Wut did Cobra do wit' 'em, Airtight?" Beachhead asks him over the intercom.

"It could be anything, but my first guess is Arsenic; not positive though, I've no veterinary experience. We'll have to wait for the results." He replied.

"Rait, ah'll let Duke know 'bout this; keep at it." Beachhead tells him and walks off. "Wondeh wut's next, giant lizards?"

An hour later, the Joes are in the assembly room while the Green-shirts clean up the mess outside. "Joes, as disturbing as what we have just been put through was, it is a reminder to all of us that Cobra's fund raising is over, and they're back in business." Duke tells them. "But as we have seen; no matter what they throw at us, we will hit back twice as hard, am i right!"

"Yo Joe!"

* * *

Chapter eight. Read and review.

*Castle in The Sky.


	9. Post-op part four

Third wave.

Slightly A.U.

* * *

While Washington is being informed of the "battle" the Joes just went through, Polly lands in the animal's area after hearing whining from the kennel. "Awk, some missing; where'd they go?" He asked inbetween preening.

"Brother gone, sister gone." Order tells him. "Still chasing."

"Not back yet." Sgt. Snuffles added, sitting down. "Why not?"

Junkyard enters at this point. "They sleep, pup."

"Find them, bowl's waiting." Order says next, looking at it before Freedom flies in.

"No use, wingless ones, you seek those not here." The eagle tells them.

"Awk, gone with dad, gone with mom; why be sad." Polly says next, referring to Honoria's having passed away last winter.

* * *

In the Monitor room, Duke is done with his report. "So you still have the **baby bird** , then?" Gen, Abernathy asks them.

"Yes sir, barely a smudge on it." Airborne replied. "Sure handled well, too."

"That it does; so when can we expect it back?" A black haired man asks from a second screen.

"Whaddya call da thang, pardner?" Wild Bill asks him. "An' when ya reckon ah kin git one?"

"Can't tell you hombres yet, I'm afraid; orders." The man replied despite the smirk.

"I'll have it loaded on a transport as soon as we, Capt. Micheals." Duke tells him.

"Think it'll replace the FA-18 someday, Ron?" Lady-Jaye asks as she steps infront of him.

"Maybe your rickety old Skystrikers, too; good to hear from you again." The Capt. says, with a grin; one she returns.

"Pfft, that'll be the day." Ace mumbled while turning his face.

"Do you, uh, know this guy?" Ripcord asks Lady-Jaye as he glances back and forth. "And...does Flint know you know him?"

"Not yet; Guys, Captain Micheals is a former classmate of mine." She explains.

"Hello...and does he mean the Flint from all of-" Capt. Micheals starts before Gen. Abernathy interrupts.

"Hate to break up this reunion; but when can we expect your people to get back on track after this, Duke?"

* * *

In Flint's office, he is speaking with M.P.'s Lavigne and Callaway. "You want me to give transfers to our remaining guard dogs?"

"Yeah, por favor, sir." Lavigne says first, leaning forward.

"We only have mine and his left." Callaway adds, motioning to him.

Flint looks at them for a few seconds. "Request denied, we need those two for aiding the other's replacements; dismissed." He tells them.

"Aw, come on; you want them to die like that, too?!" Lavigne asks, pounding on the desk.

Flint stands up at the outburst. "This is a military base, Pvt.; not a post office; you can't just send military property* away because you ask. You need a legitimate reason, and right now you do not have one, so get out!" He tells him, then slides a hand down his face after they leave.

* * *

Chapter nine. Read and review.

*Would guard dogs have been considered this in 1986?


	10. Public relations part one

Third wave.

All segments simultaneous.

* * *

A month and a half after the "attack", one Green-shirt's promotion, one new car for Gung-Ho after the parachute on one of the "bomb" failed, one vacation for an overworked Dr. Rich, and 19 sightings of surviving gerbils...the Moes are finished doing their rounds. "Hey fellas, we gats a letteh from ol' Tollbooth." Green-shirt Blais says outloud, and the rest head over.

"What's it say?" Heavy Metal asks him.

"Says hiz wife Sally done gat 'erself a dizchahge from da hazbital; ya'll break owt da cigahs cuz it's a boy!" Blais replies, showing a polaroid that was with the letter.

"Aw, he's so tiny."/"Look at that face; he's a Tollbooth, alr-oof!, Didn't...mean it...like that."/"...Who ya think they'll name him after?"/"Hol' on tuh yuh helmets, cuz he's a genu~whiny Joe."/"Haha, I'll go spread the word!"

* * *

In the intel room, Stalker hands a letter to Lady-Jaye. She reads it and shakes her head. He asks what it said. "The old civilian Spirit and i were with when we were looking for that satellite; he...he passed away a few days ago." She tells him, then leaves.

She passes Cutter (reading a magazine he got), flight mechanic Josh (who was speaking with Wild Bill), Deep-Six, and Crankcase, who tells her what Blais told him on her way to Duke's office. She sees him on the phone. "Just a sec." He tells her. "Just put him on a 6 mile hike to..I'll call you back, Major." He says, seeing her upset for some reason.

"Bad news, i take it?" He asks her.

"It's from a cousin of mine...says he noticed an obituary for Dr. MacIntosh, from the Primord episode." She replies. "I went to my quarters to phone his next of kin, seems his last request was to be buried near the caverns."

"And you want him to let you and Spirit off for the funeral?" Flint asks, leaning on the door after seeing her pass the window of his office door.

"...Can you Duke?" She asked after turning around.

"Probably is safer if they had an escort; just don't take too long, Cobra's been inactive for a while, and a quiet snake is the worst kind." Duke tells her as he gets on the intercom. "Spirit, report to my office, please."

"Want me to get Dusty, too?" Flint asks.

"Sounds okay to me." She replies. "I'll make sure not to drive over any bridges on the way."

Duke and Flint nod until he stops. "Wait, didn't Spirit say he was driving back then?" He asked, only for her to look away, whistling nervously.

* * *

In the barracks, Footloose is tossing his letter aside.

"How come ya did that?" Dusty asks him after putting down his mother's latest medical bill.

"Just another scam; those nra losers want me to join this time." He tells his bunkmate.

"Yeah, we're already fighting one bunch of braindead weenies; don't need associatin' with a second...how about the rest of you?" Dusty asks next.

"Jessie's class went to the state capitol for a field trip."

"My pop got a new security system for the store."

"Got some new magazines."

"Center-folds, too?"

"Just in the first one, and only if you got 6 bucks."

"Deal!"/"Me first!"/"No you don't, I'm first!"/"As if, I saw 'em before you did!"/"Ow, get off my foot!"

* * *

Following her confession that she was the one behind the wheel, Lady-Jaye and Spirit were only demoted to Pvt., managing to avoid worse due to the whole team vowing to quit. After landing in Africa, the four join the remaining family, friend's, and former student's of Dr. MacIntosh. "Ye mast be thae Joes we heard of." A man in his late forties says.

"That's us, Mr. MacIntosh, sorry for your loss; I'm Flint, and this is Dusty, Lady-Jaye, and Spirit." He replied before the eagle screeched. "Uh, and Freedom, too." He added while most of the group laughed.

"And I'm Lindsay MacIntosh, thae Prof was me dad." The person replied in a flat tone.

"As for me, I'm Dr. Massey, a paleontologist; Dr. MacIntosh was my late brother's former classmate back in the 40's." Another tells them.

"Was your brother in the expedition the Professor mentioned?" Spirit asks him.

"Actually no, Herman died fighting the Chinese in '52, but his dorm-mate was." He explained.

"Oh, that must have been awful either way." Lady-Jaye tells him.

"Aye, but we shood get moving, baefore the heat causes thae body tae reek." Lindsay tells them.

"You, uh...that sounds a lil bit harsh, doesn't it?" Dusty asks him before another woman in her mid-30's speaks up.

"Thae man's right, dad; yae shood nae speak ill of him."

"I'll bae as harsh as i wish, Sylvia, whut with noat hearin' fram him faer most of me life!" Lindsay tells her.

"...And I'm Kumbukani, we all here as trail guides." A local man (one of 5 men) says, to ease the tension.

The group moves for eight miles until the guides stop. "This were we stay put, Mr. MacIntosh. We will not go any further, not for any price."

"Bah, off wit' ye then, superstitious bunch a'..." Mr. MacIntosh grumbled before the rest kept going for one more mile...only to find an unexpected site.

There seemed to have been a firefight, with damage to the wall around all the caverns as well as the statues, and the sacrificial alter. "Damn snakes must have been here after we left." Dusty said, with a snarl.

"Atleast that damned "Ding-dong", or whatever the hell it was of theirs is busted." Lady-Jaye added, trying her hardest not to think about how close she was to being part of it's demonstration.

"Spirit." Flint says, motioning with his head while trying to calm her down. The tracker wanders around a bit before coming back.

"It was not Cobra this time, sir." Spirit says, and holds out some shell casings. "These rounds are too varied; some Ak-47's, some FN-49's, some H&K G3's." Flint is about to respond before Spirit raises a hand. "Seems some are still here." He says, and hear a startled shout to their right.

"D...Mr. MacIntosh, what happened?" Lady-Jaye asks.

"A bloody rock almost hit me arm, thaet's what 'appened!" Mr. MacIntosh shouts.

After they all dodge two more, Spirit cups his hands to his mouth. "Yo Joe!"

A few seconds later, they hear voices from above. "Uhlu, Uhlu; yoh joh!"/"Zhub'ma?"/"M'kehba!"

"What do ye thenk those hairy devil's are sayin', sair?" Mr. MacIntosh asks Flint.

"We just got off their crosshairs, folks." He replies, before a dozen Primords walk out.

"Hmm, i can't be sure, but i don't think i see the chief from before." Spirit tells him.

"Just look at them; amazing." Dr. Massey says, eyes wandering between them before getting a notepad out.

"Maybe, but lets noat farget why we came 'ere, Prufaessor." Miss. MacIntosh tells him. They all nod and open the coffin to show Dr. MacIntosh's body, which the Primords inspect. The lead one pokes the face a couple times before turning.

"Kuhthua, Mahc'n'toh...Jhulaka." The leader says to the others.

"That thing just said me name?" Mr. MacIntosh asks Spirit.

" **He** did; and they know." He replied, pointing to the Primords howling.

"Look, they're mourning; Franklin, the camcorder, get the camcorder. This is remarkable." Dr. Massey says quietly, but Flint turns to him.

"Shouldn't do that, they might think it's a threat."

"Er, right; guess I'll just sketch it instead." The Dr. mumbled.

After the exchange, Lady-Jaye and Spirit walk forward. "What are thaey doin', are they daft?" Mr. MacIntosh asks Flint and Dusty, and they watch the Primords notice them and step aside after a moment.

Spirit stops infront of the coffin and turns to the other two MacIntosh's, who join him. "If the Primords can mourn your father, can you do so?"

Mr. MacIntosh opens his mouth, but closes it again and looks to the tribe, and sighs. "Veary well...While ye played little part of me laif; ye still be me flesh 'n blood...was...faine to be with ye~at yaer fainal days, dad." He says, and lets Sylvia take her turn.

"I may~know even less of ye, but~i will miss ye,~gr~grandfather, faerwell." She says, and sobs into her dads shoulder as Spirit speaks.

"While not a relative; rest with your ancestors and await your descendants, old one." He says, and they all turn as Lady-Jaye takes her turn.

"Whether you're listening or not, i hope you can forgive me again for all the trouble we went through, Dr." She says, then takes a breath. "Leave, leave your well-loved nest, late swallow, and fly away. Here is no rest for hollowing heart and wearying wing. Your comrades all have flown To seek their southern paradise across the great earth's downward sloping side, And you are alone. Why should you cling still to the swiftly ageing narrowing day? Prepare; Shake your pinions long untried that now must bear you there where you would be through all the heavens of ice; Till falling down the homing air you light and perch upon the radiant tree."* She sang, bringing tears to all of them.

"...Thaenk ye, madam; a fair voice ye haeve." Mr. MacIntosh says, while shaking her hand.

"Don't mention it." She tells him, with a smile and a nod.

"Think she could go platinum, Flint?" Dusty asks, nudging him in the arm, but got no answer, not that he needed one.

"They seem to think so, looks like." 'Reynolds' replied instead, pointing to the Primords.

Following that, the three Joe men and Mr. MacIntosh get to digging the grave while the Primords watch, Lady-Jaye notices something while speaking with Miss MacIntosh.

"Uh, Flint?" She says to him.

"Three and a half feet to go." He replies, not looking up.

"Fl~int." She says again.

"I told you we don't have enough shovels, alright?" He says next, in an annoyed tone.

"Yeah, and quit kicking the edge just cause you're-" Dusty adds as he turns, and clears his throat to get the other's attention. The three turn to see a younger one pulling back some dirt with a stone.

"I thenk the lad; least i thenk it's a lad, be wantin' tae take part, sair." Mr. MacIntosh says after shaking his head.

"Want me to come over and check the tell-tale organ's placement?" Dr. Massey asks.

"No thanks; just stay put." Lady-Jaye tells him while keeping a grip on his shoulder.

"Kuluk'be...Bhunyu kuluk'be?" The small one asks, and the four diggers look to each other.

"Ah; yeah, what was that word again?, Started with an o, didn't it?" Flint say to himself.

"I believe it was "ort'tho"." Spirit reminded him.

"Oh." Flint says next. "Ort'tho."

The small one starts hopping about. "Ort'unuk; Bhunyu, yoh joh!" He/she says while running back to the others.

"You, uh, think Bhunyu is the kids name?" Dusty asks aloud.

"Very likely, young man." Dr. Massey replied.

* * *

After the funeral, the civilians head back to the guides, leaving the Joes to wander about. "You find anything besides those ammo casings, Spirit?" Dusty asks while looking at a fallen ladder.

"Just some drag marks; not sure who's though." The tracker replied.

"And where'd those Primords run off too?" Dusty asked next.

While that was going on, Lady-Jaye was back at a familiar spot. Her hand twitched while placing it where the satellite had been. She can almost hear the chief's voice and the machine's droning boops when she turns and raises a fist only to find Flint behind her. "Still bothering you, Lady-Jaye?" He asked.

"You mean that; as if a jeep sized rock can scare this Joe." She says while tilting her head up, then lowering it. "...Which it-Which it did." She said next as her eyes started to well up. "Aw, I'm getting sick just th~ink~ing ab~o~ut it." She said, before she felt his arms around her.

"At ease, Alison; It's in the past." He tells her quietly.

"Yeah; it was...thanks." She says, rubbing her eyes.

"You can get to smoochin' later; we found a tire!" Dusty shouts, with a smirk.

The two let go and walk over to look at a tire with some punctures in it. "This was hit with their spears." Spirit says, holding a broken one.

"What would you say this came off of?" Flint asked as he and Lady-Jaye crouch down.

"It was big whatever it was." Dusty tells him.

"Big enough to haul off most of a tribe of Primords?" Lady-Jaye asked next.

"I'd say so." He said back.

"...Is this a known Cobra tread pattern?" Flint asks Spirit.

"Not this one, I must say." The tracker replies, causing Flint to shake his head.

"In which case we better pack up; let H.Q. know we're done here." He says, and notices their mixed expressions. "Well come on, let's go."

* * *

Chapter ten. Read and review.

*The Late Swallow by Edwin Muir.


	11. Public relations part two

Third wave.

* * *

Dusty was getting uncomfortable, and not from the location's heat.

"Hold it, what do you mean "let's go"?!" Lady-Jaye asks. "You can't be serious?"

"We did what we came here for." Flint tells her while putting his canteen back.

"But what about them?, Flint, i can't believe you're telling us to ignore what was done here." She says to him, motioning to the broken statues.

"There's nothing to indicate Cobra was here again; since they did nothing, we do nothing." He replies while headed for the trail.

"...Don't taern away fram me, ye spineless bastard!" She yelled at him, causing the other two to go wide-eyed.

Flint stopped and glanced back. "What'd you just call me?" He asked in a flat tone.

"You heard me, buster; if you won't stay, then i will." She tells him and stomped off in another direction. "Spirit, Freedom, let's move out."

"Halt!" Flint shouts as he grabs her arm. "You're not going anywhere, soldier."

"The hell I'm not." She shouts in response. "It's the right thing to do!"

"We're not here to do the right thing, this was just for public relat-" He starts to say before she punches him in the face. "Lady-Jaye, stop, that's an order!"

"I don't give a rat's ass; I'll get to the bottom of this myself if i have to!" She says through her teeth as Dusty and Spirit rush over to him.

"All this for the same bunch that tried to flatten ya?" The former asks Lady-Jaye while the latter wipes the blood from Flint's mouth, neither having seen anyone this mad since Airtight put some happy face stickers inside Deep-Six's helmet.

"I'm all better now." She tells him.

"Uh, Spirit?" Dusty asks, in an uncertain tone.

"This is not a wise choice, Lady-Jaye." The tracker says, getting up. "But it is an honorable one." He adds, and they leave.

Flint slams a fist on the ground, then looks to his remaining subordinate. "Which side for you?"

Dusty tugs at his collar. "Personally, I'd rather be inside a bar." He tells him, still not sure what just happened.

Flint stands and nods. "Plenty of time for that after we get them back." And they start to follow the other two.

Six miles from the caverns, the two pursuers are stopped by a voice. "Base to Joe Leader 2, requesting situation report. Over."

"Aw, Leavenworth, here we come." Dusty says to himself. "Why did Ace have to go and get hungover that day; why?!"

Flint grumbles under his breath and takes the handset from Dusty's pack. "Joe Leader 2 here, our V.A.M.P. broke down and we're heading to the nearest town. Over." He tells Breaker.

"You want us to send a second team? Over."

"Negative, we're halfway there now. Over and out."

"Acknowledged. Over and out."

Flint puts the handset back while Dusty panics. "Who's going to pay my mom's bills when I'm stuck breaking rocks?"

"Be quiet." Flint tells him. "All they're going to know is w-" He says next before they hear a shriek ahead of them.

"What the hell?" Dusty asked before Freedom appeared, and circled a few times before leaving the way he came.

"You heard him, double quick." Flint tells him before running after the eagle. After going 26 yards, they find the two and a half deserters...and a bunch of decomposed bodies, Primord bodies.

"Jesus Christ; how...how many?" Dusty asked Spirit while placing his hat over his nose.

"8 of them, no doubt they'd been killed in an escape attempt; maybe 5 or 6 days ago." He replied as they watch Flint walk over to Lady-Jaye.

"Do you still~want to ab~abandon them...sir?" She asks him in a mix of rage and grief as she points to one corpse.

Flint looks over the remains, and shuts his eyes when he notices white hairs near the head; they were from the "sideburns" of the chief they met before. He lowers his beret for a moment before answering. "Any indication of who or where the culprit's are?"

"This tree here has some bark removed at a shallow angle, and from the depth of the gouges, I'd say the shooters were standing...here." Spirit answered, moving 18 yards away. "There's another body here!"

The other three rush over to see a human body. "At least they didn't go down without a fight." Dusty remarked.

"I'm afraid that is not the case; this man was shot, single round to the back of his neck." Spirit tells him.

"So their escape was his fault?"

"It is the most probable answer."

"But was it intentional or an accident?" Flint asks himself before he looks back. "You win, Lady-Jaye; can you ever forgive me?"

"...I'll think about it." She told him, while giving him a glance.

The three follow Spirit for another two miles until they see a small camp in a clearing, then belly crawl their way to some bushes. "How much you gonna put in?"/"21."/"...18."/"Fold." They hear from inside a make-shift shack. They see 11 Primords in a metal cage 7 feet to the left of it.

While memorizing the layout, they see one Primord grab a small ornate monitor lizard, which another takes. The noise causes a bald man with a jaguar skin vest* to walk out. "Stop that fekin racket, ya hairy freaks!" He yells before shooting one of them.

The four look away before another of the men, with orange hair and lightning bolt tattoos walked out and grabbed the man's throat. "I thought i said not to damage anymore of the merchandise, we already had to waste money on a second raid thanks to Evert's carelessness." He said before shoving him down and heading back inside.

"I'll be a Primord's uncle if the carrot-top with the arrows doesn't look like a Dreadnok." Dusty said to Flint quietly, only for Lady-Jaye to respond.

"Zandar."

"...Huh?"

"We don't have much info on him since he's unaffiliated, but we do know that he's Zartan's brother."

"Really?"

"There's also a sister, Zarana; but she's in a jail-cell in Laos."

While Dusty and Spirit nod, Flint turns from the former. "Lady-Jaye; I...take back what i said before, all of it." He said, placing his hand next to hers.

"Thanks, and I'm sorry for decking you; i know that we weren't formed for this." She replied. "But we can't just do nothing; please, Flint."

He takes a breath and looks to Spirit, who nods. "Freedom and i stand ready."

"Same here, Flint." Dusty said next, giving a thumbs up.

"We'll be violating our mandate." Flint says before glancing to Lady-Jaye. "But it's be the right thing to do." He says next, and the two grin as she closes her hand around his.

He turns to say something to Dusty before they hear Breaker again. "Base to Joe Leader 2, reques-" He says before Dusty turned it off.

"...They didn't hear that did they?" He whispered, before an arrow lands between his fingers. "...Yep."

"On yer feet, whoever da hell ya are." The first man says before the Primords notice them.

"Tunbu?" One seems to ask itself before a younger one points to them.

"Yoh Joh, yoh joh!" It says.

The first underling looks back to the one called Zandar. "...Isn't that what those G.I. Joe people always shout out?"

The poachers are too busy keeping them quiet to notice Spirit taking his mini-knife out. "Now why would you be all the way out here, i wonder?" Zandar asks them.

"Better question is what's this one got under her duds?" Another man asks, grabbing Lady-Jaye's wrist.

"You leave her alon-oof!" Dusty says before she kicked him in the gut. "What'd you...where are you going?!"

"Cram it, why don'tcha?!" She tells him before walking toward the poachers as they glance to each other in confusion. "He can be a real pain in the ass." She says before grinning at them. "So, how much do these go for; a few thousand?"

"...Well, if we find the right people, we might get somewhere near a million; what's it to ya?" Zandar tells her after glancing to his "co-workers".

"Just makes me think how an army salary's not worth shit next to this line of work...be sure to keep them alive; they'll make for good labor." She tells him while motioning to hers.

"What the hell's she doing?" Dusty asked Flint before Zandar whispered something to the first one, who points his AK at her.

"One of their spook's, are ya; get back over there." He tells her, and ties her up too.

"Damn; Zartan must have told him about that one time." She says to herself after they walk off.

"When you were with Gung-Ho, you mean?" Dusty asked.

"Yeah; and i would have gotten away with it, too, if it wer-"

"Shut up, both of ya!" The first one tells them.

"What do we do with them, boss?" Another asked.

"I say we do 'em in, it's safer." The third says.

"Just leave the woman, I'll take her." The second says.

"Oh no, you-"

"Want her yourself, old man?"

"Did ya already forget what that bitch just tried to pull on us?"

"...Oh, nevermind then."

Zandar is about to say something when they hear engine noises. "Skyhawk; take cover!" He shouts. While they scatter, Spirit take the opportunity to cut his and the other's ropes.

"Thanks, now lets get our weapons back." Flint says. "We can't leave any survivors, got it?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good; Dusty, burn any papers you find...Lady-Jaye, get that cage open; Spirit and i will do the rest."

The four nod to each other and split up. Lady-Jaye gets to the cage, and the younger one inside looks at her, she gasps when she recognizes him as the dead chief's son. "Poor thing, I'll have you out in a second." She says before he picks up a piece of bone from the lizard they ate and throws it. "What was that...oh." She asks before turning to see that it was thrown into the mouth of the second poacher right behind her, who chokes on it.

"Yoh joh?" The Primord youth asks.

"Yo Joe." She replies, before getting a pin from her hair to pick the lock.

Elsewhere, Spirit is looking around when he stops and pulls his head back, narrowly avoiding an arrow. "What i heard of you lot is true, then." Zandar says from above him.

"You could have just asked." Spirit says back.

"At least with you, I'd get an answer." Zandar replied as he jumped down.

"But mere words would not be sufficient."

"No, they would not."

"Very well; Freedom, leave him to me."

After the eagle flies off, the two charge each other.

Back with Flint, he hears the two in the distance. "Sounds like Spirit found your boss." He says to the last two underlings, all three are aiming at each other.

"Sure does; who do ya think'll win, yank?" The first one asks.

"Take a guess." Flint tells him.

"I'd rather take yer head."

"Because yours is empty?"

"Heh-heh, only thought i got are of the twenty ways i can kill all four of ya."

"That many; hell, i only got one, and it's way better."

"And he said my head's empty." The man said. "Which way you think he...means." He says before seeing the third one gone. "Morgan**?" He asks, looking around. When he looks back, he hears a round whizz by before feeling a blow to the chest, and looks down to see a k-bar sticking in it. He gives one last chuckle before falling dead on his back.

Flint walks over to him to pull it out. "Nice work, Recondo." He says.

The other Joe nods while standing over the third one's body. "Anytime, Flint."

Once the two head back to the camp, Flint sees Spirit, who has some bruises and cuts, on a chair being bandaged by nurse Blake. "The one called Zandar escaped somehow; but i doubt he will be be of any concern for the time being."

"Who's Zandar?" Recondo asks.

After explaining, Flint goes to the radio to contact Duke. Once he meets them at the caverns a few hours later, he's livid. "And i thought your girlfriend was trouble, but no, you had to make it a god damned competition." He says aloud.

"Sorry, sir." Flint replied, having take the blame for all of it.

"I hate to do this, but when we get back, you'll have to spend the rest of the year in the stockade." Duke tells him.

"Yes, sir." Flint replied.

"But Duke!" Dusty says while consoling Lady-Jaye.

"But nothing, or you'll join him."

"And what of the Primords, sir?" Spirit asks him, and they watch Recondo, Ace, and Clutch try to keep them from going to far in their examining of the A.P.C.'s and Skyhawks.

"The obvious thing would be to leave them here; but it's likely that other black marketers will come here once we take off." Duke replies.

"There's gotta be some suggestion to keep 'em out of somebody's collection." Roadblock says.

"...Well, i think i know a good place." Duke says.

* * *

A few days later, at a city in a mountain region.

"And this is why have brought these...Primords here?" An old woman asks Duke and Flint.

"Yes, your majesty, we felt that your land's remoteness would make an ideal location." Duke replies.

"...Selina?" She asks her advisor.

"It does seem a good cause, grandmother; even if it is without much warning." She say, while thinking, "Or hearing back from him."..."And we do still owe him for his country's help in rebuilding our city."

"You have made your point, child." The person says as she stands. "By edict of Queen Neldre***, the Primords are now fellow citizens."

* * *

Chapter eleven. Read and review.

*Gnawgahyde

**Zanzibar

***Made up name.


	12. Downtime part twenty-eight

Third wave.

* * *

Somewhere in SFR Yugoslavia, two people meet in an alley, they remove their hats to show that they're Zartan and Zandar (who has a cast on his right wrist, a few cut marks, and a broken nose). "I got your message, brother." Zartan says to him. "See what i mean about them now?"

"Yes; they are more formidable than i thought." Zandar replied before ducking as a police car passed by.

"But it's far from over." Zartan says, well aware what the answer will be.

"You're damn right." He tells him, and the two put their hats on. "Care for a few drinks, brother?"

"I would, but "Dr. Hamler" is needed back in the Atacama, the excavation's just started."

* * *

At Joe H.Q., Spirit, Dusty, and Lady-Jaye are doing maintenance work around the base, an agreement done without Flint's knowledge, having refused to go unpunished. Dusty was repairing the P.T. course under Stalker's supervision. "Once you're done laying down those tires, Work Order, you can get to washing the dog piss off the vaulting wall." Stalker tells him, using new codenames Beachhead came up with after Snow-Job reconfigured a flamethrower P.A.C./R.A.T. to shoot paint for writing "Beachhead smells like coyote droppings."

At the same time, Spirit was assigned to the Moes. "Next batch, Post-it." He is told, watching as another box is dumped in front of him. He sees magazines for Grunt, Cover-Girl, and Alpine; package's for Airtight (contents of which he hopes won't be used on him), and Gung-Ho; and, of course letters.

"I have one here for me, do i go ahea-" He starts to ask.

"No."

"But it's righ-"

"No!"

Also at the same time, Lady-Jaye is in the motor pool hunched over a Slugger's elevator hatch. "Here's some more grease for you." Clutch says, and she takes it with a nod before blanching as she hears a clanging.

"Yuh dropped it again, Mop up!" Beachhead shouts. "Find da thang 'n stert ovah!" He then turns to Crankcase and Green-shirt's Blais and Klas. " Wut'ah ya'wl starin' at; dis ain't no drive in!"

"How the hell does Peach put up with this all day?" She asks herself as her grease stained face goes bright red.

* * *

Chapter twelve. Read and review.


	13. Downtime part twenty-nine

Third wave.

Skymaster23 does not condone harming women in any way.

* * *

Two days later, in the gym of Joe H.Q., Cutter is at the chin-up bar when Post-it enters and announces mail call. Alice helps Scarlett put back the EZ curl for a sec before heading over. "Here's that catalog you ordered."/"Finally, we can get that new stereo."/"Told you not to let Blais borrow it." The two say before Alice sighs.

"Problemo?" Lavigne asks while looking over his shoulder.

"Dental bill from when Scott lost those two teeth during soccer practice a few days ago." She says, and they all wince.

Cutter then opens his letter. "Raymond's getting assigned to a new ship." He says aloud.

"Who and where, man?" Footloose asks him.

"A guy i went to college with; says he's gonna be in the supply dept. for a Sub called the Nerka."

* * *

Meanwhile, at Los Alamos, Mainframe is programming Watchdog's targeting system when the phone rings. "Hello...Nancy, it's for you." He says to Dr. Winters.

"Who is it?" She asks him.

"A General Du Cobois. He's requesting our advice regarding plasma energy." He explained.

"I have some time off soon; I'll let the professor know." She replied.

* * *

Weeks later, Green-shirts Sikorski is headed back to base after winning the contest for taking part in the human chain everyone heard about. He parks his truck at a grocery store and goes inside. "Let's see, first I'll get a six pack...or two, then some Pringles, and some pancake mix." He tells himself, and keeps a close eye on the other shoppers and employees, anyone of whom could be a Cobra agent.

He passes by a black haired woman holding a tray. "Good afternoon; would you like a free sample?"

"Nah, no thanks, miss." He says before continuing on his way.

A few hours later, the employee is on a pier and inflates a raft, which she takes a few miles offshore until a Cobra sub surfaces. A blue-shirt exits the hatch. "Get up here before the coast guard shows up."

After a few hours, she exits and is called on the undersea base's intercom. "Eel 205, report to the laboratory for bio-conversion procedure." Despite her fear, she makes her way to the facility.

She passes by Buzzer, the other two Dreadnoks just lying around smoking*. "G'day there, luv; aff tuh da merfolk's room, are ya?" He asks, but she says nothing as she keep walking.

Once inside, she sees Dr. Mindbender at a wall panel. "Cobra Eel 205, present." She announced.

"Hmm...oh, head ofer to that table and lay down." He tells her while motioning to it and she does as instructed.

As she waits, she looks over to him. "How long should this take, Dr.?"

"The longest attempt thus far has been 9.24 seconds." He replied, then went to the console. "Subject 48 now entering confersion chamber...Charging...confersion commencing; now!"

She feels a tingle at first, which then grows to a burning sensation. "It hurts; make it stop!" She pleads while screaming.

"4...3...2...1." She could barely hear before it ends. "Retracting gurney...orderlies, take her to the holding tank, ve vill see if this vas another failure or not."

* * *

Chapter thirteen. Read and review.

*Just say no.


	14. Downtime part thirty

Third wave.

* * *

A few weeks later, Short-Fuze is at an airport waiting for a person from Sweden. His face lights up when he sees her exit the walkway. "Eh, pardon; 'scuse me, sorry; Rakel!" He says as he passes a few civilians.

"So good to see you again." She tells him as they embrace.

"Welcome to America, honey." He replies, having spent two/thirds of the cash needed for her flight before letting the other Joes lend a hand.

"I hope it's as nice as it was looked from above, Shorty."

After finding her luggage, they head for his car so he can show her the base, chatting along the way. "I saw in that tape of yours that you got new prosthetic's; how they feel?"

"They're much more flexible now, even if they cost a few extra krona." She says, before raising her left sleeve.

"Good to hear; maybe you can get back in the cockpit someday." He replied, but she only looked down, so he pulled over. "Shouldn't have said that?"

"No, i was just thinking back to that day; we knew they were experimenting on their A.V.A.C.'s bodies after that movie incident we were told of, but not of how quickly they could pull it off." She explained.

"Ace and them actually thought we were dealing with robotic pilots at first." He says.

"Well, enough about that, let's just see that base of yours." She replies.

"Okay; but you should know, we got the no-frattin rule back." He warned.

"You don't have one here?"

"Ah, we do; but we've been a bit too lax about it until recently, long story."

Once at the base, she's amazed at the scale of it. "Väldiga...This must have cost as much as a whole city to build."

"If you add the furniture and stuff, then yeah, it did." He tells her as they watch Beachhead supervising Dusty, who's driving a transport truck with a wrecked S.H.A.R.C. on it as they head inside.

"Yer back already, Short-Fuze?" Wild Bill asks as he, Mutt & Junkyard are passing by. "Ain't even high noon yet."

"Sure are, guys, this is Rakel Nylund; formerly Airfoil." He tells them.

"Howdy, ma'am."/"Hi there, Mis-Down boy; heel!" They say as Junkyard growled.

"I do something wrong?" She asks as she backs up.

"Nah, Junkyard here's just not used to the scent of false limbs, that's all." He explains as another person shows up.

"I see yae've arrived." McCabe says to her.

"Hello Treads...if that's still your codename."

"Nae old friend, we greenshirts doon't use them; care ta let me take over fram here, sair?" McCabe says to both.

"No thanks, I've got it." Short-Fuze told her before the group splits up. "Where to first?"

"How's about we eat first; you did say what was here was "way better" then those places we saw on the way here?" Rakel asks.

"Kinda regretting that now." He says with a grimace.

"Why's that?"

"Because you might try to build a house inside like Shipwreck did when he first got here." He says as he starts laughing.

* * *

Chapter fourteen. Read and review.

Codenames Airfoil and Treads are now retired; anyone who wants them for their story can send a PM.


	15. Downtime part thirty-one

Third wave.

* * *

After experiencing Cajun for the first time, (due to Roadblock being out on recon) Rakel is at a drinking fountain when she hears a voice from behind her in a British accent. "Snakes lay before us!"*

"We run them through at full force!"* She replied out of reflex before turning around to see a clearly not British red haired woman. "By the...whatever that is, i guess you must be Scarlett?"

"And you must be Ms. Nylund; Duke, and Short-Fuze here mentioned you." Scarlett replies, then looks down at herself. "And what do you find wrong with my uniform?" She asks in an apparently overly used tone.

"Uniform...So those aren't what you American's wear for exercise?" Rakel asks her when a man dressed like McCabe walks by.

"Oh, they is, miss; they is." He says, and rushes off before Scarlett could turn around.

"I'd pound you for that, but I'd get PETA on my case!" She says as he turned around a corner.

"Another of your greenshirts?" Rakel asks Short-Fuze.

"Yeah, Cpl. Blais." He replies as Breaker is heard.

"Attention, recon team under attack: Footloose, Thunder, Short-Fuze, Snake-Eyes, and Ripcord, report to the hangerbay."

Scarlett looks to him. "Want me to take your place?" She offered.

"Nah, was hoping to run into one of you anyway for the girly part of the tour." He says before leaving.

After that, the two head for the Joe-ette's quarters, along the way Rakel asks about the other two women of the main team. "Well, aside from me, there's Cover-Girl and Lady-Jaye, or Mop Up for the time being; long story." Scarlett tells her.

"And what do you three do here?"

"Me and Jaye are the team's intel operatives, along with a guy named Stalker; as for Cover-Girl, she's an armor driver like Mallory is."

"Ah; and why "Mop Up"?"

Scarlett stops to whisper the explanation. "Our 2IC, Flint, went on a detour during a P.R. job along with her and two other men; he thinks he took the blame, but they're secretly doing part time jobs till he's out of his cell."

With a nod from Rakel, the two continue on to the room. "Nice place you have here." She says, and pick up a photo of a man in a flight suit trying to pull a woman with short red hair off of the front landing gear of the forward swept fighter from earlier. "Did you replace your Skystrikers?"

"That; one of our pilots borrowed it during a Cobra attack here while he was on leave." Scarlett explained. "That's Airborne and Cover-Girl, by the way."

"And this is Mop Up." They hear from the door, and see Lady-Jaye in overalls. "Who's this, Scarlett?" She asks as she makes a beeline for the fridge.

"I'm Rakel Nylund."

"Short-Fuze's penpal?" She asked while popping open a beer can.

"Rough day?" Scarlett asked back as the other two greeted each other.

"Just spent two hours in one of the cargo jet's guts; it was that fricking blankety blank robo-serpent all over again." Lady-Jaye grumbled.

"I remember that, my cousin's friend was a crewman on one of those ships." Rakel tells them.

"Was he really, maybe you should ask Quick-Kick...my partner that day; if he saw him." Lady-Jaye replied. Rakel offers to mention some of her stories, but she shakes her head. "Let me take a shower first, then we can chat."

Six hours later, Short-Fuze and the others return. He heads to the girls quarters, but is greeted by Stall. "Uh, you see this person, Stall?" He asks as he gets a picture of Rakel, himself, and the old Steeler.

"Seen, heard, and smelled." She says, with a scowl before she lets him in to show her and the other two passed out by a stereo with a few empty cans and paper plates lying around.

The next day, the two are at a house in nearby Keystone city. "How's it look, Rakel; we all pitched in to buy it for you." Short-Fuze asks her.

"It's wonderful; i just love it, thank you so much." She says, and kisses him on the cheek.

"It set me back a whole lot, and It'll be a few hours before the furniture arrives; but baby, you're worth every penny." He says as he kisses her on the lips, which she returns.

* * *

Chapter fifteen. Read and review.

*Made up.


	16. Nu Pogodi

Third wave.

* * *

Months later, Stalker is listening in on Cobra radio traffic; a complaint of insufficient supplies in French, a H.I.S.S. driver in Cyprus reporting a jammed turret, and Major Bludd suggesting a reserve squadron of Trubble Bubbles at the Faroe islands. Knowing a meeting between the US and Soviet leaders is a few days away, he removes his headphones and picks up the phone. "-now that; it's just that after the crystal incident countermeasures, Vince must have decided he didn't need to push himself." Duke tells Scarlett, having been told of his half brother's latest infraction when this phone rang. "Duke here...The north sea?...Right, thanks." He says, and hangs up.

"Them?"

"Them."

"Ready when you are."

In the stockade, Flint is reading one of his books when Olsen shows up. "Duke called; you're free to go, sir." He says as he unlocks the cell. "He also says you're needed in assembly."

"Thanks; did he say why?" Flint asks while stretching a little.

"Not to me, sir." He replied.

Once he arrives, Flint heads to the podium while listening to Duke speak. "-ave spotted four Cobra airships unloading ground forces 40 miles east of Reykjavík, we need volunteers for the platoons to send to keep them from interfering with the anti-nuclear summit, or harming ours and the Soviet's head of state." He says, and Heavy Metal, Snow-Job, Alpine, Bazooka, Steeler, Blowtorch, and Crankcase all stand.

Lady-Jaye also stands. "I'll go too; gotta take all this misery out on someone, it might as well be the snakes." She says aloud while cracking her knuckles, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

"Something happen to her?" Flint asks, and Beachhead leans over.

"Dat monthly thang." He says quietly, and Flint nods.

"Alright, Joes; move out."

"Yo Joe!"

After the long flight, the Joes and greenshirts drive off in a column of Snowcats, M.O.B.A.T.s, and Armadillos. Once they reach the intercept point, however, they find a collection of destroyed Cobra armor, and dead troops. "...What gives?"/"Bum~mer."/"All this way for nothing?, Son of a bitch!"/"Did Breaker forget to tell the locals about us?" Steeler, Bazooka, Lady-Jaye and Crankcase all say while they all look around.

A few miles away, another group speeds off. "Was good warm up, no?" Col. Brekhov asks his subordinates.

"Da, slowpoke Joeski's must be angry like bull infront of red flag." Horrorshow replied, with a smirk.

* * *

Chapter sixteen. Read and review.


	17. Downtime part thirty-two

Third wave.

* * *

After formal apologies from Lady-Jaye for injuring Alpine, Shipwreck, Rock 'n Roll, and traumatizing Snake-Eyes before the deployment to Iceland; it is now December 16th, most of the base personnel are off to visit their families and friends. On the way to Flint's car, the two are speaking about their destination. "This is going to be so exciting, isn't it Flint?" She asks while they pass by Zap's '82 Dodge van and Blais's '74 Camaro.

"I suppose so." He says as they are halfway to his car.

She raises a brow at him. "You suppose?; Flint...Dashiell, we've known each other for, what is it, 3 years now...and you only today are letting me see your parent's in person." She tells him while folding her arms.

"It's just...It's just that my dad is one of those "This man's army" types, even if he was a Marine." He admits, trying not to lock eyes with her.

"You mean like ol' Ledger used to be...Flint, do they even know i exist?" She asks him, and he nods.

"Gen. Abernathy told him about you when he visited after his promotion, and i mentioned everything." He explained. "...Almost everything."

"Oh, do you think they'll accept me being with you?" She asks, before covering her mouth. "I mean as a teammate, not as...as a-." She adds, only for him to press a finger to her lips and wink.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head over it, Alison; I'm sure they'll like you just fine." He says, before looking around, then giving her a short kiss. "Just like i do."

Once they arrive at his house, they see a bunch of vehicles parked in the yard. "That's a lot of cars; you sure they'll have room for us in there, Dash?" She asks him, even though she can see how big the house is.

"It's just my brother Benny and his family; and cousin Ted and his family; and Uncle Jeff and-"

"Alright, alri~ight, you doofus; i get it."

When they finally get inside and remove their coats, she watches as a boy around the same age as Shipwreck's nephew turns away from them. "Dad, cousin Flint's here; and he has some lady with him!"

As the kid's dad heads over, Flint snickers. "Sounds like Zack's voice cracked, hasn't it, Ted?"

While they start chatting, an older man and woman show up, the former having only a left arm. "Welcome home, son."/"Oh, come here, give your mom a hug...And you must be Lady-Jaye; oh, we've heard so much about you." Both of them say, as the latter hugs her before glaring at Flint. "I still say should have told us about her first, mister airborne ranger."

"Th~ank you, Mrs. Faire~bor~n." She says while laughing at the sight of the big burly soldier she loved being poked and scolded by an old woman half his size.

"Please, call me Jill."

"Ok; Jill."

She then turned to his dad, and hesitated before tapping his shoulder. "Hmm, yes; can i help you?" He asked.

"No, i, uh...i just want to say what a privilege it is to finally meet "Never en-"

"Never endin' Nathan; i know, i know." He says, and steps around her for a once-over. "Clay said you worked for him before sending you to that group he mentioned, is that true?" He asks while his wife and Flint protest.

"Yes it is, sir, all of it." She says as she takes a stance. "I've served with G.I. Joe for three years alongside many other women, and have fought just as well as your son; and the other men, if not better."

"So you say, but i only believe what i can see." He replies, checking her for reactions.

"What method do you have in mind, sir?" She asks him without batting an eye, and he motions for her and Flint to head downstairs.

He shows her the basement, which is half full of boxes, and some hunting trophies. With Flint's help, out of one box, he gets out an old AR-10. "This used to be mine before Charlie took my arm*. What i want, is for you to set it on that counter; field strip and reassemble it." He tells her.

"And then you'll accept that i can serve?" She asks him while doing so.

"I'll consider it, Missy; provided you can do it in...say, 8 minutes." He replies, and she smirks while leaning toward him.

"Yo Joe." She says smugly before pulling it off in 5 minutes. While he picks it up and shakes it as if expecting pieces to fall off, she pats his shoulder. "8 minutes is for snakes; without a blindfold."

After that, they are back upstairs, where she is fixing the food with Flint's mother, aunt, and the other wives. "And then he started flopping like a fish." She says, referring to Shipwreck's little skit after Alpine "shot" him during a wargame.

"Any other stories, Mrs. Lady-Jaye?" She hears from cousin Ted's daughter.

"Huh...Oh, not a whole lot, just...Mrs.?" She asks the pre-teen girl.

"...So you and my cousin aren't married, or like...what's that other word, encased...no, that ain't it." The girl replied before her mother cuts in.

"Janine, don't bother her!"

While those two are speaking, the girl's words ran around in Lady-Jaye's head like the butterflies in her stomach. She had given a thought or two about asking him, but that was while on the way to Seattle to meet with the doctor that Gloria mentioned during her pregnancy scare. The idea of doing so now was as frightening as facing a field of H.I.S.S.'s with a squirt gun. Later, they were all at the table; as they all pass around food and words, Flint notices how naturally Lady-Jaye is taking part, and wonders how it will feel if or when he finally works up the nerve to ask her someday.

* * *

Chapter seventeen. Read and review.

*Any Vietnamese readers, please note that this is a period setting; no offense is intended.


	18. CCACTT part one

Third wave.

* * *

At a M.A.R.S. laboratory, Destro and Dr. Mindbender are standing infront of two regiments of S.N.A.K.E. robots. "Now that the molecular reducer/enlarger is finished, i will demonstrate it's power; watch carefully." He says, and shoots at them. Following that, a Tele-Viper at a console raises a platform, which Dr. Mindbender walks over too, placing his hand at the edge.

"As you can all see, with Destro's device, we can now move whole armies anywhere we want without fear of detection; Cobra's victory is with in our grasp!" He shouts, and clenches his fist.

"Guhd theng we tawlked 'em outta usin' da thengy on us, in'nit, Zartan?"/"I guess we can head..."/"...back to the office."/"My invasssion force; you losst another battle for us before it even ssstarted, you...mindbungler!" They all say, and reverse the process to find that only 15 robots are left. As Cobra Commander and Destro chase the "scientist" around the room, the Baroness orders Major Bludd to round up their regular forces while he calls Firefly.

* * *

While Zartan is getting into one of Duke's uniforms, the Dreadnoks and some Blue-shirts help themselves to the rest of the Joes dinner. "Hey, diz stuff's brill, ain't it?" Ripper asks while reaching for some more ham.

"You said it, this spreads totally bitchin...pass the gravy, would you?" One female Blue-shirt asks.

"-eb id, dun't be suf a 'oomin'...bogart, Firefly." Torch says as he washes down half a brownie.

* * *

While the Skystrikers are being lowered from the interior hanger, in another part of the base, Cobra Commander is wandering around the base when he notices a door labeled: Commander's quarters. "Ah-hah, Duke's private room; let's see what sort of information he has in here, shall we." He says to himself as he kicks the door in. Switching to his mask's advanced nightvision, he see's Duke's artwork.

"That damnable ape, how dare he insult me like this!" He yells, knocking over a painting of Duke with an arm around Scarlett's waist, and his foot on The Commander's empty helmet.

* * *

In Washington, a random soldier runs to a phone. "Col. Sharp; yes i know, sir, but; the mayor of Keystone city just called; he says..."

* * *

In Gatlinburg, Breaker is in a Santa costume for his old grade school when one of the teachers runs in while his pager goes off. "I just got a call from my wife; she says she was watching a movie and the news came on saying G.I. Joe just attacked somewhere." The teacher says, before turning the TV on, and everyone turns toward their guest, who is too shocked to notice.

"Children, step back."/"It not tue, iz'it?"/"Yeah; teh us, Santa." They say, while one or two kids start bawling.

* * *

In Fer-de-Lance, Gung-Ho is with his clan along with Ace, Grunt, and Green-shirts Davis and Fardie. Davis and Ace are dancing with Gung-Ho's sisters when they get paged. "Guy's, we gots to head back to da base!"

"Aw; sorry, Mireille, but we have to go."

"We'll be back, Gisele!"

* * *

In California, Lavigne & Stall are at a Christmas themed party with Short-Fuze & Rakel, as well as Torpedo, Quick-Kick, Snow-Job, and Ripcord. While the first two are making out in a corner, the latter 3 are looking for potential partners, since Torpedo already has one.

"How about that one with the black hair?" Torpedo suggests.

"I don't know, she keeps looking at the clock." Ripcord tells him.

"Come on, Wimpcord; that's cause she's waiting for guys like us; go for it." Snow-Job tells him.

"Haha, wimpcord, wimpcord!" Quick-Kick and Torpedo say next.

"Shut up!" Ripcord shouts before they all hear their pagers.

* * *

In Camden*, Clutch is wrapping presents with another man**. "You still won't tell me what you got me?" The person asks while leaning against him.

"Sorry, not till X-mas, Andy." Clutch says to him when his pager goes off.

"Trouble at that base of your's?"

"Fraid so; I'll be back later, love you, bye."

* * *

In Kyoto, Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, Bazooka, and Wire Cutter are watching a new green-shirt named Musashi in a sparring match with the woman who aided them earlier. The match is in it's third minute when the woman leapt back, landing on a loose floorboard which falls on the Green-shirt as he turns to run. "Um...What are the odds of that happe-?" Scarlett asks as they rush over to check on him, only for her pager to go off along with those of the other two men.

* * *

In Louisville, a disguised Thunder is at a bar peeking over a newspaper at his sister, who is two tables away with a guy. "Better watch who yer eyeballin', ya greased up cocky little shit." He says under his breath, and grips the paper when he sees the guy's elbow just barely bump into her chest by mistake when his pager goes off.

"Do you hear something?" The guy asks her.

The two look around when she notices Thunder looking down at his pager. "Dammit Matt, what are you doing here?!" She asks him, eyes blazing.

He can only studder in panic until the TV movie is interrupted by news from Keystone. "What the hell are they doing?"

* * *

In Wichita, while Lady-Jaye is showering after her and Flint used his parent's trip to the general store to get more tape for the presents to have some "us time" on their bed, he is in the laundry room destroying the evidence when his pager goes off.

* * *

While the Joes are manning the vehicles Cobra left behind, Tripwire gets into a Trubble Bubble, when Duke rushes over. "Maybe you should stay and guard Destro's cell, Tripwire."

"Why, don't you trust me on thi~i~is?!" He asks as he lifts off, and zips around a few times before flying it upside down into a room on the fourth floor.

After a few seconds, Dusty runs up to Duke. "Just heard him on the radio in the Stinger; says he's ok, and headed to Destro's cell."

"Physically ok, anyway." Cover-Girl says, rolling her eyes.

* * *

In Seattle, Dr. Steen is speaking with his dad about the attack still happening while his sister is sobbing in her boyfriend's lap on the couch. "You can't seriously be siding with those killers, look at what they're doing, Edwin!" Fr. Steen says, pointing to the scene of a Skyhawk strafing a police position.

"Don't you call them that, there's no way that G.I. Joe would turn on us!" Dr. Steen tells him.

"You don't know what your saying, boy!"

"I do too, and I'll prove that they haven't lost their way!"

"How?!"

"I'll guide them myself!"

"Stop that right now, or you're out of my will!"

"Fine by me!"

"You walk out that door, you'll never use it again, you hear me; that's it, you're no son of mine anymore!"

* * *

At the diner of Roadblock's aunt and uncle, a young man is watching a F.A.N.G. do a midair backflip over a Dragonfly. "See, we should have stayed with them, they're not double crossing assholes like the Joes are." He says to one of the waiters, who used to be his gang leader during the rocket incident before he and three others joined the staff.

"That's a load of sh-woah!" He tells the person before being shoved.

"You sit your ass down, you little punk!" Caleb says before he is punched in the face.

The three wrestle a bit until Caleb collapses, and the young man runs out while Sara called the police. Half a day later, in another town, he's in an alley talking with a Blue-shirt. "Right then, welcome to Cobra...Name?"

"Felix Stratton."

* * *

Chapter eighteen. Read and review.

*Delaware.

**Just something i threw in for any LGBT readers.


	19. CCACTT part two

Third wave.

* * *

After all the other Joes return to base, the three commanders and Colonel Sharp, examine the perimeter. "Scaleh bastahds tore up da P.T. course, n' da rifle range." Beachhead says aloud while they follow Wolverine tracks which go towards, and through, the climbing and rappelling tower. "Jes' as well; ah've been thenkin' 'bout addin' a new section."

"What else did they get into?" Col. Sharp asks as they watch Tollbooth, who returned to reenlist when he heard what happened, directs some random army engineers at one of the ground level F.L.A.K.s.

"They emptied out all our supply rooms, kitchen, quartermaster's area, the armory, and the infirmary; not to mention, one of them set fire to all my paintings." Duke told him while scowling.

"And they blew up our's, and Doc's, offices while they were at it." Flint added.

Hearing all this, Col. Sharp stops and speaks. "The base's damage aside, we also have the damage to the whole country's, if not the world's morale to fix; once we get them to put away all the torches and pitchforks, that is."

The trio turn around and have a short discussion before facing him. "What do you suggest, Colonel?" Duke asked.

"No easy way to say this, but the plan in Washington is to have a new leader in charge here; not that any of you will have to leave, Clay managed to talk them out of it." Col. Sharp replied.

"And...jes' who is dis new leadeh, sir?" Beachhead asks him.

"You're looking at him." Col. Sharp answered.

* * *

At Cobra Island, Cobra Commander is fuming on the way to the Terror Drome. "I can't believe we were foiled by our own equipment; and after ssso many times they proved so usseless before thiss operation!"

"Well, i still can't believe he did a backflip with that F.A.N.G., i mean they're not even desig-oof!" Wild Weasel says before he is kicked in the gut.

"There's also the matter of us not stealing any noseplugs." Zartan adds, pointing to Destro, who is 30 yards behind them, as they reach the entrance, where Scrap Iron and a heavily bandaged Dr. Mindbender are waiting.

"Heard it was a draw out there, sir." Scrap Iron says.

"...True enough; we may not have caused enough structural damage, but at least we did cost them a few billion dollars, and turned public opinion against them." Cobra Commander tells him.

"Rad; but, why's Destro all by himself back there?" Scrap Iron asks them.

"Let's just say he got a first hand lesson in the avian digestive system." The Baroness explained.

"Huh?" He asks next after he and Dr. Mindbender share a confused glance.

"That sailor's parrot got hit by his cheap ass raygun, ate him, and barfed him back out." Zartan added.

While Destro chases him, Cobra Commander heads for the door, but is stopped.

"Vait, you don't vant to go in there, Commander." Dr. Mindbender tells him after grabbing his wrist.

"And why should i listen to you, you three-eyed, ignorant little..." Cobra Commander says, before seeing the others backing away once he opened the door. "Where are you people going?" He asks, and turns to see a wall of coal rush at him. "Ahhhh!"

"As you can see, **he** did it to us again, Commander." Scrap Iron tells him after they all find their way out of the pile.

"Oh, ssshut up!" The Commander shouts while throwing a piece at him.

* * *

Chapter nineteen. Read and review.


	20. Another roster addition

Third wave.

Partly inspired by Red Witch's General Meeting.

* * *

In the briefing room, the base's command staff are speaking with Col. Sharp. "How did Washington react to our being framed, sending you here can't be the only response to this." Duke asked first.

With a sigh, Col. Sharp explains what the government discussed before he left. "You can already guess there was a lot of talk of having G.I. Joe disbanded, even some of executions; officially and civilian ordered." After letting it sink in, he continues. "Suffice to say, there's millions of people out there wanting your heads right now."

"And that's why you got picked to replace us?" Duke asks him after palming his face.

"It is; took a presidential order to get all the commotion to stop, but it came down to me, and General's Abernathy, and Schwarzkopf." Col. Sharp explained to them. "There's more, but that can wait until we inform the rest of them."

"I see; what of that vehicle Tollbooth mentioned to you a while back?" Flint asks him while scratching his neck.

"The H.A.V.O.C.?, Well, that's gonna be a while, I'm afraid." Col. Sharp replied.

"How long are we tawlkin', sir?" Beachhead asked next.

"...Well, the thing is that there's three other concepts: the jet you had here earlier, which has been dubbed the X-30 Conquest; plus an all-terrain scout bike, the L.C.V. Recon Sled; and a transport helicopter, the Tomahawk." Col. Sharp replied, and added that the delay was due to the army wanting the H.A.V.O.C., the marines wanting the Recon Sled, and the airforce, navy, and coast guard wanting both the Conquest, and the Tomahawk. "And until the "shelling" stops, it doesn't look like any of them will see production."

"Uh-huh, why not just make all four at the same time, sir?" Duke asks him.

"Because the H.A.V.O.C. is the better option." Col. Sharp said, with an unnerving look in his eyes. "Aside from it's G.E.V. section, it can also be a transport for troops, or artillery; surveillance, communication, and medevac."*

"Tha-That's some good points there, sir." Duke replied.

"Other than that, is there any word on Dr. Winters disappearance?" He asked them.

"We've determined she's not in North or South America; and our Japanese branch just started checking Cobra's Chinese outposts." Flint told him.

"And Lt. Bennet is doing the same in Europe." Duke added.

* * *

At the same time that was going on, the other Joes are gathered around the other returnee. "Welcome back, homme!" Gung-Ho says.

"How're you and Sally doing?" Scarlett asks.

"Heard yah had yerselve's a lil hombre." Wild Bill says.

"We sure do." Tollbooth tells them with a big smile on his face as he gets a photo out. "Joe's just started getting his teeth."

He's got your chin. Snake-eye's note said, and he passes it to Stalker, only for Cover-Girl to swipe it so she and the other two could see.

"Cude wid." Bazooka says, being muffled by Scarlett's hand over his mouth for trying to look over her shoulder.

"Harriet**'s kid is bigger." Green-shirt Sikorski says, referring to his nephew.

While they are all passing the picture around, they hear a voice over the intercom. "Attention; all personnel, report to the assembly room."

After a few minutes, Col. Sharp steps up to the podium. "May i have your..." He starts to say when he looks at the audience, then back to Duke. "There seems to be quite a few people missing." He says, since all the men on the Joe-ette's keep out list, plus five others, are absent.

While Duke and Flint looked away, and Beachhead shook his head, Breaker explained. "Shipwreck, Footloose, and some of the other guys took off after they found that some of their stuff was stolen, and went to get them back, sir."

While raising a brow, Col. Sharp asks him. "Would you define "stuff" as being more important than an officer's summons?"

"Well, uh, with all due respect, it is for them, sir." Recondo explained.

"And just what are they looking for, exactly?" Col. Sharp asked after seeing a few other men nodding.

"Um, it's for, uh..." Recondo replied nervously.

"...Answer the question, soldier; what have they gone A.W.O.L for?" He asks again before Cover-Girl stands up and answers for him.

"Those peabrained perverts left to get their dirty magazines back, sir."

He turns to the three behind him. "One of you get the M.P.'s to bring them back right now!"

"I'm afraid that won't do much good, sir." Duke tells him.

"Why the hell not?!" He shouts at them.

"Because half of them went with, sir." Deep-Six added.

Hearing that, Col. Sharp palms his face. "What kind of an organization are you running here?!" He asks the three behind them.

"To be fair, Col., we do see a lot less action than other units, since we only go after one particular opponent." Flint explains. "Not to mention how remote this base is."

"Dat 'n three of 'em left foh a diff'rant reason." Beachhead added.

"And who would that be?"

"First is Roadblock, since his uncle's in the hospital for a fractured arm." Duke tells him.

"Oh; and the others?"

"Barbecue, whose clubhouse in Keystone was damaged in the attack; and Short-Fuze, who has an acquaintance who also lost property there."

"I see."

"As for the lack of action..." Lady-Jaye says, as she stands up. "That may be ending soon."

"Meaning?"

"We recently noticed some Cobra activity; seems they found a coal deposit in the Indian Ocean somewhere."

"They have?"

"And they're selling it to anyone willing to pay the equivalent of 100 dollars per chunk."

After she sits down, Blowtorch raises his hand.

"Yes?"

"Have ye picked oot a codename faer yeself, sair?"

"Yeah, what are we going to call you?" Mutt asked next.

"About that, I've already got one."

"You do; what is it?" Cutter asked.

"The one I've been using." He replied. "Now if i can get back to the original point of this meeting; effective immediately, i am hereby the new commander of the Global Initiative: Joint Operations Executives*** team."

Once the audience got over the shock, they all ask at the same time. "Why didn't you say that earlier?!"

* * *

Chapter twenty. Read and review.

*Made up concept.

**Made up name.

***Made up acronym.


	21. Christmas fear

Third wave.

Disclaimer: Skymaster23 does not condone violence against women.

* * *

While Col. Sharp is ranting at Gen. Abernathy over the phone, and while the A.W.O.L. Joes (who came back empty handed) are doing ten laps around the base; in the motor pool, Cover-Girl, Heavy Metal, and a random mechanic are replacing the canopy on one of the Snowcats when Scarlett walks in. "Excuse me, Peach, can i talk with you for a minute?" She asks her.

"Alright, just a sec; Steeler, hold this, would you?" Cover-Girl asks, handing him a ratchet wrench.

The two head into a supply closet. "Shut the door, please." Scarlett asks her, but when Cover-Girl does and turns back around, she is gone.

"Uh, Scarlett...Scarlett?" She asks, when she suddenly feels her legs kicked out from under her and falls to the floor. "Dah!; Scarlett?!, what the fu-" She tries to ask as she gets up, but Scarlett shoves her to a wall, and presses a forearm to her throat.

"A big birdy told me that you gave an early "present" to Duke after that mess you were in." She says with a snarl. "Keep away from him, you rusty haired little camera whore, or a friendly fire incident may happen someday." Cover-Girl nods, too frightened for words, and Scarlett releases her before walking out.

* * *

Chapter twenty-one. Read and review.


	22. Press conference

Third wave.

Disclaimer: Skymaster23 does not one any of the news agencies mentioned.

* * *

Following her "discussion" with Cover-Girl, Scarlett heads to the monitor room to ask where Duke is. "Sorry, he went to Keystone with the Col., Flint, and Beachhead about ten minutes ago." Breaker tells her. "Did you have a question for him?"

"Yeah, wanted to ask him how he felt about losing his position, but it can wait." She replied, then left.

Over at Keystone, the four of them watch as the Col.'s staff car is pelted with garbage and ice chunks while other residents hold up signs: No Joe!...Go to hell, G.I. Jackasses!...Sandra Barr, Born 7/10/78-Died 12/22/86. Cause of death: G.I. Joe.

After passing the people by, Duke stomps on the car's floor. "Goddamn it; I'm just not sure how we get out of this one." He says aloud.

"Ah 'ave ta agree wit' Duke, sir; we may neveh git da people's trust back." Beachhead said next.

"Let's not assume that just yet, you two." Flint tells them. "We just have to hope they accept the truth at the press conference."

After the three were finished, Col. Sharp spoke up. "Flint's right, gentlemen; once we explain that we were framed, the public will calm down and we can all get back to enjoying the holiday season."

Once inside the Keystone news studio, the four men head for their seats as the lead reporter speaks. "And here they are now, folks; the three leaders of G.I. Joe, and their Washington liaison officer."

A few minutes later, the event begins. "Good afternoon, citizens; let me begin by saying that due to the disaster; G.I. Joe's command structure has been rearranged." Col. Sharp says.

The station's reporter stands up. "What sort of change do you mean, Colonel?" She asked.

"By that, i mean that as of today, i am the commanding officer of the G.I. Joe team." He answered, and as the crowd murmured, Hector Ramirez stood up.

"You, sir?...Does this mean that Duke, Flint, and Beachhead are being relieved of command; and will they face criminal charges for the attack?" He asks, privately hoping the answer will be no.

Col. Sharp takes a step back. "Duke, i think you can handle this one." He says, and takes a seat.

Duke looks at the waiting reporters and take a breath. "To answer your question, Mr. Ramirez; no, the three of us will simply be the second, third, and fourth in command."

A CNN reporter take his turn. "Given what happened earlier, how can you justify this?"

"Because we have video evidence that most of the damage and deaths were caused by Cobra agents using our vehicles." Duke explains.

"Most of it?" The reporter asks him.

"Admittedly, we may have caused a small amount of it when we were shooting down our own hardware; but we promise to do everything we can for the people of this city, if you'll allow us...now, here's the footage from our hidden backup cameras, since the main system was dismantled after they, uh, broke in."

"How did they pull that off, anyway, might i ask?" The local reporter asked.

"Well, they...It'll be easier to understand if you watch the tape, ma'am." Duke tells her, then turns around. "Pop it in, Flint."

* * *

Chapter twenty-two. Read and review.


	23. Countdown begins

Third wave.

* * *

In Cobra-La, a person is waving a small device, one clearly not of Cobra-La origin, at a vertical pillar of ice** when he goes wide eyed at the readings. He runs off for the city's "airport", and shows the device to the employees, who lead him to a small "plane" for him to fly to the palace. As he steps out of it, he is approached by a being in red "armor". "I must speak with The Supreme One; It's urgent." He says, and the armored person turns to a third figure in a black cloak.

The cloaked person notices the scanner in the messenger's hand, and glances to the armored person. "Permit him." The first one orders in a female voice.

When the messenger reaches the palace hall, he sees the cities ruler float down to him, and he kneels. "What brings you here, Spire Watcher**?" Golobulus asks him.

"I w-was taking the yearly measurements, sire, and-and the base of it has reached the ground!" He answers, and hands the scanner over. The Watcher sees him examine the scanner. "I checked it thrice, my lord." He told him.

"So the time has come." Golobulu says, then raises his hands. "By my decree, lay the seeds of our regeneration along the exterior!"

* * *

Chapter twenty-three. Read and review.

*Made up object.

**Made up object and occupation.


	24. A Joe-full Christmas

Third wave.

* * *

When the four get back, everybody is outside waiting for them. "Welcome back, sirs." They all say.

On the way to the entrance, Scarlett walk up to Duke. "We saw the news." She tells him with a somber tone.

"And, uh...how'd everyone take it?" He asked her, and she sighs.

"Well, none of us were jumping for joy when they saw the tape, that's for sure."

"I don't blame them; Yourself included." He says, well aware what her response will be.

"Yes...that, and knowing that you're not in charge anymore." She replied, worried about what changes the Col. could and will give to them and their friends.

"It's going to be difficult having a regular army man here...but we'll manage." Duke tells her. "We always do."

* * *

A few days later, the Joes (minus the top four, who are in the monitor room, and the three women, who are each in a different corner of the hanger) are all resting in the assembly room due to the reconstruction of the barracks, when they are woken up by a voice on the intercom. "Merry Christmas, yuh bunch 'a rocket mouths; ah wondeh how da Soviets didn't hear all yuh damn racket!" They hear from Beachhead.

"Eh, we should'a gift wrapped his face." Crankcase says first.

"Doesn't that bustah know this is supposed to be a DONSA?" Roadblock asked outloud.

"Ears ringin'." Bazooka says next.

"Like, that from "Stenchhead", or him?" Footloose asked him while pointing a thumb at Dusty.

"Me?"

"Yeah; like, you snore louder than my brother does."

"No, i don't."

"Yes you do, man."

"...Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Shut up, both of ya!" Grunt says, throwing his pillow at them just before hearing a shout of surprise from the intercom.

"Give me that stupid thing!" They hear next from Duke, before a third voice speaks up.

"Duke?"

"Huh...Oh yeah, i forgot; here, sir."

"Not a problem, Duke." Col. Sharp says. "Good morning to all of you; as your new commanding officer, my first act will be to wish you all a Merry Christmas; but remember, Cobra doesn't take the holidays off, so that means no plain clothes, and no shirking your duties. If they choose to show themselves again, we must be ready for them."

In the hanger, Scarlett and Lady-Jaye are getting their uniforms on while Cover-Girl does the same in her corner; which still confused the brunette, who was unaware of the earlier confrontation. "Ready to go, girls?" Lady-Jaye asks them.

"As always, brownie." Scarlett says.

"Me too...you first." Cover-Girl said next, not wanting Scarlett where she couldn't see her.

* * *

Once all the personnel are in the commissary, the gifts are passed around. "Whoa, far out." Rock 'n Roll says, looking at an autographed Guns 'n Roses record from Frostbite.

Crankcase gets a chemistry set from Flash. "Um, thanks?"/"Don't mention it."

Airtight sees Flint pass a short cylindrical package to Col. Sharp which says: for Charlie Oscar (commanding officer) from Kilo Sierra (Kurt Schnurr). "Wait, that's..." He tries to say, but a bunch of clothed springs pop out.

"What?!"/"Holy crap!"/"Airtight!"

Airtight grimaces as he explains. "You see; that was meant for Duke, i ordered it 2 weeks before the attack...Sorry, Col."

"Oh, just be sure to leave a more specific label next time." Col. Sharp replies once his pulse slowed down. "And to leave me out of this...activity."

"Sir, yes sir!" Airtight replies.

"Dat goes fuh me too, maggit!" Beachhead adds, and shows his present: A box full of hangable airfresheners which he dumps on the floor. "Y'awl ken join him fuh K.P.!" He shouts to Shipwreck, Snow-Job, and Quick-Kick for laughing at him.

Bazooka gets a knitted cap from his aunt, and a fishing reel from Wire Cutter; who also sent a model kit for Spirit, and some manga for the three she-Joes.

Ace gets a scarf from Cutter, and a sweater from his mom.

Dusty also gets one of the latter from his.

Tripwire gets a mouth guard from Duke.

Lady-Jaye opens hers up, and slams it shut while blushing slightly, having seen her gift is a pink nightgown she ordered after seeing Una MacBride wearing one in a magazine.

"Something wrong, Lady?" Mutt asked while he was looking up after seeing he got a novel from his sister.

"Uh; nope, just gonna open this later." She replied, then winced when Flint added in.

"Why, what's in it?"

"Need to know basis."

"Aw, you can tell me."

"Nuh-uh."

Col. Sharp gives a huff and claps his hands. "Break it up, you two; this may be a holiday but the regulations are still in place." He warned them.

As she leaves with the outfit, and a bracelet from Alpine; Flint sees that he has a couple of new poetry books from home.

Steeler gets a Pogo-stick from Quick-Kick, who got a VHS copy of a football game from the month before.

"Who's dat from, Q.K.?" Wild Bill asks him.

"It's from Chan, he's another stuntman i worked with a couple times."

"Dat his first name, or surname?"

"Surname."

While that is going on; in another room, Deep-Six is in the rec room watching a movie when Green-shirt McCabe walked by and stopped. "Are yae noot joinin' thae others, sair?" She asked after walking in.

"No need; I'll give this before the day's over." He says, pointing to a box, and giving her a glance.

"Ye be wantin' escarted thaere?" She asked, with a small smirk.

"No, i don't." He says next in an annoyed sounding tone.

"Oh, come on, Sair; our faellows be waiten faer ye." She says while tugging on his sleeve.

"...Ah, fine; but only to get you to stop bugging me, Mallory." He says, as he gets up. "And it was at the good part too." He added, making her snort.

Once he walked in, they all face him. "Well, well; look who showed up." Roadblock says. "Someone get him an egg-nog cup."

After rolling his eyes, he takes it and walks over to Snake-Eyes. "Here." He mumbles, and hands him a package.

A wolf plushy.

* * *

Chapter twenty-four. Read and review.


	25. Post-op part five

Third wave.

* * *

At an undersea base, two Blue-shirts are headed for a store room with a sign on it saying: Annual top secret after-action strategic analysis. One turns to the other. "In here, new guy." He says, and knocks.

"Password." They both hear from inside.

"Ra Ra, hiss boom ba." The first one says, and the door opens.

Inside, the two see five other Blue-shirts (aside from the one who opened the door, and one by a wall), one A.V.A.C., two Crimson Guardsmen, Torch, and Xamot. The two head over to the wall while passing a Tele-Viper standing by a projector.

The Blue-shirt by the wall looks at the second of the pair. "Your ID?" He asks.

"Trooper 2688." The second replied...in Stratton's voice.

"Have a seat." The leader tells him, once they do so, he speaks again while banging a wrench on a filing cabinet. "Hear ye, hear ye!, The 63rd after-action review is now in session; T.V. 131, the lights please."

"Wait, this isn't the B.O.A. meeting?" The A.V.A.C. asked.

"No, that was rescheduled for tomorrow since the speaker is out on patrol right now." The leader replied, and the pilot walks out.

"63rd?, The sign said annual...and what does B.O.A. mean?" 2688 asked one of the Crims.

"We do this every time we get a new base; and it means Bail Out Awareness." He replied.

After that, the leader points to one of the other Blue-shirts in the Audience. "Trooper 1072, you first."

1072 stands and speaks. "I was with the third support squad at West Point, and made contact with Target: S."

"And wot 'appened to yah?" Torch asked.

"I got a twisted wrist, and was knocked out when she shoved me against a Bradley*." 3072 replies, and the rest speak amongst themselves.

"I see; who's next?" The leader asked.

"I do." One Crimson Guardsman says.

"Alright, H-64, lets hear it."

"During the operation on Mr. Aertes's yacht, R-49 were testing the hors d'oeuvres for possible poison when we get the order to ambush Target: L.J. and the Joe's 2IC." He said.

"You mean where you didn't even manage to lay a hand on them." Xamot said, still a bit annoyed about that.

"We already explained that they polished the deck, sir."

"So, what's so great about that?" The leader asked.

"Well, as we went over the railing, i saw down her dress." H-64 replied.

"Is that all?" The leader asked next.

"Yes, sir. I'd show the footage taken during the mission, but Cobra Commander erased it."

"Toss him out...Next!"

"Ooh, pick me, pick me; i gat a ruhpowt." Torch said while waving his hand.

"Go ahead, Torch."

"Dis act'ally 'appened durin' tha stuff wit' tha movie and tha Firebat; anyway, we was goin' awoun' in our bikes when me front lef' tiyah gets hit. So i get off, and notice tha lady wit' the brown jacket." The Dreadnok explained.

"That was the year before, Torch." The leader says to him.

"I know, but we was in Cuba durin' tha last one." He replied.

"Then what?" One of the Crimson Guardsmen asked him.

"Aftah that, i charge at her; tuh get back fer gettin' me in da slammeh, but i get spotted when someone misses a shot, and she steps back."

"What happened next?" The Tele-Viper asked.

"We grappoh uh bit, which was kindah fun; and suddenly this explosion 'appens buhind us."

"And?"

"Once i shake me head, i pick meself up, and see me forearm was on her knockers."

The crowd speaks again. "A direct frontal strike?!"/"Not bad."/"I think we have this years award." They say.

"How did Target: C.G. respond?" The leader asked him.

"Oh, i got six punches, and one knee to me guts. I lost two teeth; but i tore one of her pockets, i did." He replied, and held up a plastic bag with the items.

2688 starts to consider whether he or not he might have made a mistake when he and the rest turn as Xamot let out a chuckle.

"Something to add, sir?" The leader asked.

"Certainly, my good man; and i have video evidence to go with to go with it." He says, and nods to the Tele-Viper. "While there was no real combat, this may still count as a win." He added as they watch footage from a hidden camera of Lady-Jaye showering back when she was Xamot's captive.

"...AndthewinnerisXamot." The leader says, and bangs the "gavel" just as quickly before looking back at the film, while they all give whistles and cat-calls at.

* * *

Chapter twenty-five. Read and review.

*Replaced the Shermans.


	26. Above Top Secret

Third wave.

* * *

After Christmas, the Joes, and a few others, are at Barbecue's rebuilt clubhouse to await the New Years ball-drop. "So this is where that incident with Cover-Girl's grandfather* started, is it?" Col. Sharp asked about the misadventure with the old window washer, who passed away a few months afterwards, as he inspected the room.

"Actually, it was a bit more to yeh right." Barbecue corrected, before getting an elbow from Zap.

"Good thing you insured the place, or some of us would be red in the face." Roadblock said after checking out the new record player with Green-shirt Sikorski.

"You should have seen her face when she found out." Stalker added from the loft above them.

"40 second's, yous guys!" Cutter shouts, and they all turn to the projector screen.

"Outta the way."/"Pass the pretzels, will ya?"/"Move over."/"Get off my foot!"'/"Watch where you put that hand, Davis!"/"Ow!"

5...4...3...2...1; Happy New Year!

* * *

The next day, Col. Sharp calls Duke, Flint, and Beachhead (who recently got the last of his bandages off) to what used to be Duke's office. "We're here, sir; what do you need?" Duke asked as they sat down.

"I've been speaking with the D.O.D. chief, and got him to agree to show you something." He replied.

The trio stare at each other. "Show us something?" Duke asked next.

"You remember those news reports about "Martians" over the last week?" He asked cryptically.

"Yeah, a load a' crap; dere ain't no little green men, Col.; so why botheh askin' us?" Beachhead asked him.

The Col. stands up and walks to the window. "You'll find out when we get there, gentlemen." He replied while facing away from them, then leads them out.

"There?; Where's there?" Duke asks as they head to the hanger, but gets no answer. A while later, the four land the two Skystrikers they took, landing infront of a cliff with a bunch of buildings under an artificial cavern. "You had to ask, didn't you?" He says to himself as he and the Col. climb down.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, sir."

A few seconds later, a man in a black tank-top, sunglasses, and camo pants walks out and salutes. "Welcome to the Slaughterhouse, sirs; The General said you'd be heading here." The man says.

"Da General?; Is dis guy one a' us, Col.?" Beachhead asked while Flint looks at one of the person's arms, then to his own.

"Yes he is; Beachhead, Flint, this is Sgt. Slaughter, our special drill instructor." Col. Sharp replies. "Only General Abernathy, Duke, myself; and now you two, are authorized to know of him."

"Isn't he the one who put that hole in our wall back during Cobra's money replacement scheme?" Flint asked, and The Sgt. nodded before explaining.

"And the man shipwreck was sent to; you'd want to throw something too, if a million smackers got turned to cinders. So i wrote that letter, and tied it to some rock."

"...But we're dozens of mile from the base!" Flint said again.

"So?"

"Anyway, what's this stuff you were saying about that article, sir?" Duke asks so as to keep Flint's brain from melting down.

"Yes, that...Men, what you're about to see is so secret, even i didn't find out until i was on my way to Joe H.Q." Col. Sharp tells them, then turns to one of the Skystrikers. "Go ahead, Scramble*."

After saying that, the four watch in shock as the jet rearranges itself into a humanoid form. "Greetings, I'm Scramble; in your language, atleast. How do you do?" It says to them.

"Co...Colonel, what is that thing?!" Duke asks him.

"Basically, Beachhead was right; there are no little "green" men." He replies. "As for him, he is from a species of living machines known as the Cybertronians; not to mention, he's the reason you and Dusty got away from that explosion in South America." He told Flint, referring to the "Funhouse" ordeal.

"He is...But i should remember something like that, shouldn't i?" Flint asked, only for 'Scramble' to explain.

"Not really; back then, i saw you approaching, then got you with a memory drainer ray as i started rolling towards you."

"Uh...huh; well, thanks for that...i guess." Flint says to him.

"Anytime, friend." Scramble replied, then morphed back.

Col. Sharp then looks to the four men. "This event never happened, understood." He tells them, and after a few glances, they all nod.

"Sir, we saw nothing here, sir!"

* * *

Chapter twenty-six. Read and review.

*An O.C.; as far as i know.


	27. Getting Slaughter'd again

Third wave.

* * *

Following that, Sgt. Slaughter invited the four into his outpost. "This first room is my mess hall; only the basics, so as to throw off any unwanted visitors." He says first, then leads them to a room on his left, which had a wall sized machine. "In here, though, is where i keep the electronics; computer, radar screen, and a vid-phone."

"Is all this considered part of our budget, or is it out of pocket?" Duke asked him.

"And it ain't anotheh'a dem robots, is it?" Beachhead asked next, while peering in from the first room.

"No chance of that, i put it together myself." The Sarge told him, then looks to Duke and Flint. "Positive."

"All by yourself?" The latter asks after looking it over.

"Thats what i said...Or do you think i don't have the expertise; is that it?" The Sarge asked while leaning towards him. "I'll have you know I'm plenty certified to operate this level of technology...sir."

"As you were, Sgt." Col. Sharp ordered.

"Wut about dat room?" Beachhead asks, pointing behind him.

"Just a closet." The Sarge replied.

"And the one under the stairs?" Flint asked.

"That's need to know; don't ever go in there."

"...Okay."

"About what Beachhead asked..." Duke says. "These "Cybertronians"...would they be able to aid us against Cobra or-"

"Unfortunately, no; and not just out of any non-interference issue." Col. Sharp replies. "According to them, they...the Autobots, by the way...are too busy with an inter-species conflict of their own."

After nodding, Flint asks next. "Does Cobra know of them, Col.?"

"It's possible that the Decepticons; the other faction, may be backing them technologically; but neither we, nor the Autobots have any evidence as of yet." The Col. explained. "Anyway, yes...this location does take up a portion of the main force's funds." He added.

"Guess that explains the shortage we had back then." Duke said, thinking back to the Synthoid incident.

"Now that that's over, we should head back." Col. Sharp told them, and the four leave.

"Thanks for the explanation, sir." Sgt. Slaughter says, and after they take off, he gives a wary glance to the computer. After a couple seconds, he shakes his head. "Nah.", then heads to the door Flint asked about, which leads down to a room, and flips a light switch, showing a table with a model train set. He then turns and goes to a wall, and pulls it apart vertically. "Do you mind?" He asks me while leaning into the hole.

"Sorry."

* * *

Chapter twenty-seven. Read and review.


	28. An Eye for an Eye part one

Third wave.

* * *

Two months later, Col. Sharp is listening to one of Tollbooth's workers about the barrack's second floor when Stalker runs in. "Excuse us a moment, Cpl." The Col. says first. "You have something for me, Stalker?"

He nods and hands over a printout. "Yes sir, we were monitoring Cobra radio traffic, and it seems they're keeping a close eye on some people; all the ones on that list."

The Col. looks it over, and adjusts his glasses. "There's over 70 names here; any idea what makes them so special?" He asks, and hands it over.

"I sent it over to Breaker, and he looked up a few of the names; turns out they are all physicists, sir." Stalker explained.

"All of them?"

"Yes sir; Breaker also said that there's this big event in New York happening soon that they, and hundreds more are attending."

"Cobra must be drooling over the thought of so many geniuses in one spot right now." Col. Sharp says aloud. "But they have another thing coming." He added, then got to the phone. "Attention, all Joes, report to the briefing room immediately."

While they were taking their seats, Breaker taps the Col. on the shoulder. "Yes, what is it?"

"Just before Stalker came in, i was being informed by Grumman Aerospace that they wanted some of us to move a jet, the same kind Airborne took a few months ago, being used to test a new type of engine, from Wright-Patterson to Ellsworth; since they caught a Crimson Guardsman undercover as one of their radar operators a few days ago, sir." Breaker explained.

"...Alright then, I'll mention that too; thank you, now take your seat." Col. Sharp told him. Once everyone was present, he began speaking. "Joes, i have two missions for you; the first is to prevent Cobra from interfering with a meeting of the American Physical Society, two and a half days from now in New York city." He says, and Flash stands up. "Yes, Flash?"

"Sir, i volunteer to take part in this." He offers, and is joined by Breaker, Short-Fuze, and Tripwire; who is nudged by Steeler.

"Going to be a lot of fragile stuff there, Tripper, maybe you should stay put."

"Quiet!; Anyway, there's also a request to transport a jet with an experimental engine from here, to here." Col. Sharp said, tapping a pointer on Ohio and South Dakota on a map on the monitor. "And I've already picked out who is going where." He tells them, and brings up a duty roster.

Mission 1 operatives: Beachhead, Clutch, Gung-Ho, Crankcase, Footloose, Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, Ace, Grunt, and two Green-shirt platoons. Vehicles: two Maulers, four V.A.M.P.s, seven Skystrikers, and six Whirlwinds.

Mission 2 operatives: Flint, Heavy Metal*, Alpine, Snow-Job, Lady-Jaye, Bazooka, Recondo, Airtight, and 1 Green-shirt squad. Vehicles: one heavy flatbed truck, and four Snowcats.

After reading it, Rock 'n Roll leaned over to Flash and smirked. "Haha, no geek-fest for you, dude." He said, getting a glare in response.

Ignoring that, the Col. spoke again. "Are there any questions?" He asks, and gets none. "Understood; Joes, ready to move out?"

"Yes sir!"

"Dismissed."

"Yo Joe!"

* * *

After getting all the equipment ready, the two teams take off. Once out of sight, Cover-Girl, who was watching out a window, finally sees an opportunity to mention the incident with Scarlett, and heads for the rec-room, where Shipwreck is.

She finds him by a pinball machine. "Shipwreck, can i talk with you for a minute, please?" She asks him.

"Do ya want to brag about that little sneak attack of yer's on Duke?" He asks without facing her, having never gotten over the sight of her kissing the former commander.

"Tha-You're still thinking about that; it was-" She starts to say, but is cut-off by him smacking the machine, causing Polly to fly off.

"Damn right I'm still thinking of it...ya knew how i felt about ya, only to make me watch that?" He asks, furious that she would dare ask for anything after that. "Do ya have any idea how gut-wrenching that was?"

"Do not act like i am yours, Shipwreck; and besides, i imagine it's about as much as nearly being killed by my roommate." She replied.

"Scarlett did what?!" Shipwreck asked, followed by some others.

"Is she serious?"/"When was dat?"/"Shipwreck's turning down a girl?"/"What'd she say?"/"They have a fight or something?"

"Well...Well, either way it's not my problem, ya harlot!" He says before she slaps him.

"I gue~ss you~you're right,~you hea~rtless son of a bi~itch!" She says before running off, with Polly following.

"Awk, never seen him like that before."

After that, he turns to the other men. "What the hell are all'a ya staring at, never see a break-up before?" He asks, with a snarl, and they all get back to what they were doing.

* * *

In the Monitor room, Breaker turns on the loudspeaker for the Colonel so he can hear from the two group leaders.

"Dis is Tango Alpha ninah, we're at **a fowk in da road;** continuin'. Oveh." Beachhead said first, referring to the point where Flint's team reached Wright-Patterson.

"And this is Tango Bravo niner, stopping at the **Pet Store.** Over."

Col. Sharp gives a slight grin. " **Garage** here, 10-4. Over and out." He replied, and motioned for Breaker to turn it off. He is about to say something when Breaker gets a call and places his gum in the trashcan before speaking.

"Hello...Shipwreck; no way!...Alright I'll tell him, Dr." He says, then hangs up.

"What did he do now?" Col. Sharp asks him, well aware of the sailor's record, which didn't however prepare him for the response.

"That was Dr. Rich, sir; he says Cover-Girl is in his office, and that some people reported that Shipwreck went and erupted at her in the rec-room a few minutes ago." Breaker replies. "Gotta switch to an outside camera; make sure the world isn't ending or something."

Col. Sharp gives a confused glance to Duke, which continues when he sees him grimacing. "I, uh, i think i have an idea what it's about; I'll go, Col." He offered, and walked off, just knowing that Scarlett was involved somehow.

Once he enters the waiting room, Alice calls over to him. "Yes, Langdon?" He asks her, and she explains that she brought Cover-Girl here.

"Poor thing was crying her eyes out, saying something about Shipwreck, and Scarlett; not sure about the latter, but i got a nice big socket wrench with that shitty gob's name on it." She told him, finishing with a growl.

"Belay that, Langdon, just head back to your post." He orders, even if half of him did think Shipwreck might deserve it. He headed to Dr. Rich's door, and knocked.

"Wait your turn, please." He heard from inside.

"It's Duke." He said simply, and is let in, seeing Cover-Girl seated by a bookcase with some tissues scattered around and a cup of hot choco in her hands.

"Awk, rotten sailor, rotten sailor." Polly says after pulling another one out.

"...What happened exactly?" He asked as he took a chair and sat across from her, and she gave the whole story.

* * *

A day later, Beachhead's team stops at the western edge of Long Island, and sets up a basecamp.

He then starts giving the orders while pointing to a map. "Grunt, ah want you 'n da first platoon tuh position da Whirlwinds around da camp...second platoon will man one of da Maulers, and 2 V.A.M.P.s fuh coverin' the shoreline, while da otheh ones will move 5 miles behind us incase dem snakes git past us." He says, then looks up. "Snake-Eyes, you will cross the New Jersey state line and faind da enemy stagin' area; If'n we don't hear from yuh in five hours, Scarlett and Gung-Ho will go next, understood?" He asks, and gets an ok handsign. "Owtstandin', now move out."

"Yo Joe!"

* * *

Back at H.Q.

Col. Sharp is in the commissary checking on Shipwreck, (Rustle up) who is on his second day of K.P., when Roadblock gets his attention. "Sir, Breaker's on the phone, with word from Beachhead's zone." He tells him.

After rolling his eyes from the rhyming, he takes the handset. "What's the word?"

* * *

Over at Long Island; two Whirlwinds and one V.A.M.P. are destroyed, along with five Green-shirt casualties. While eighteen Trubble Bubbles are downed, along with two H.I.S.S. tanks that Ace and a wingman knocked out, are joined by a third thanks to a Mauler shell fired by Blais. "Whoo-wee! Haws dat feel, yuh leg-less freaks!?" He asks while Menninger loads another shell.

Overhead, Ace is locking on to his third Rattler, when he sees a glint at two o'clock high. "Ace to Stall; you got a fang on your six, a fang on your six." He warned.

She looks back. "Copy that, Ace; thanks!" She says, then flips over and pulls the stick back.

Back on the ground, Gung-Ho is riding with Crankcase's V.A.M.P. since his was the one knocked out. "Wetch where yur goin', damn near ran oveh Snake-eyes, yuh idjit; an' slow down!" He shouts after Crankcase swerves to avoid Scarlett and Grunt.

"You think this is a Sunday drive?; Maybe i should ask those snakes to quit shooting at us?!" Crankcase asks, then leans out the door. "Sorry 'bout that!"

"Are yuh crazeh, dun'cha eveh do dat uhgen!" Gung-Ho yells while pulling him back in, then lets off another rocket.

In the camp, Beachhead is laying on a cot while being bandaged after an explosion tossed him into a tree, causing him to break his left arm and two ribs, cussing up a storm through the process. "-king fowked tongued...Jes' afteh git'n dat dubbah damned plasteh crap off'a me!" He yells just before Footloose hands him the phone.

"Like, he's got the Col. on for you, sir."

"Ahh; gimmeh dat...Yes sir, we're holdin dem jes' fain; should be done here in one hour, sir." He says, then hears Breaker mention something about Flint's team. "Wut 'appened, sir?"

"It seems there was an accident; an enemy jet crashed into a cabin near the assigned route; must've been built recently, since it wasn't on the map." Col. Sharp explained.

"Wut!...Aneh casualt-Ah!" Beachhead asks, then winched while tying to stand out of reflex.

"Beachhead, are you alright?"

"Yes sir; jes' fohgot ah have some bruisin'."

"I see; and only some minor injuries as far as were able to tell." Col. Sharp tells him. "Just keep holding them, Beachhead. Over and out."

* * *

While Beachhead and Flint give their reports, Duke calls Scarlett to his office. "What can i do for you, Duke?" She asked while she leans against his desk.

"Off the desk; stand at attention." He tells her in a flat tone, something she didn't expect from him. "Now." She does as ordered and asks what's going on. "I have recently been informed of an incident that occurred two months ago; sound familiar?" He asks her, and she thinks back and gasps.

"Tha...I...Duke, when-when i found out what she-" She stammered. It was so many weeks ago, she forgot it even happened until know.

"I don't want to hear it!" Duke shouts. "I won't allow anyone here to become a bigger threat to the other personnel than Cobra is; is that clear, soldier?" When she hesitates, he shouts again. "I asked you a question, dammit; answer me, did i make myself clear?!"

"Sir, i get you clearly, sir!" She replied.

"Good." Duke says, only enjoying the fact that this was over. "Now you will give Cover-Girl a formal and public apology, right?"

"Yes sir!" She replied.

After having Breaker call the other Joes to the assembly room, Duke gives an apology of his own. "I'm sorry i had to raise my voice like that, Scarlett."

"I understand, i was an out of line subordinate." She replied after nodding.

"And I'm a commanding officer." He said.

"One with a conflict of interest." Both thought.

Once in the room, the two head to the stage, where The Colonel and Flint are standing. "Care to explain why you ordered a meeting without my authorization, Duke?" Col. Sharp asked, causing Duke to flinch.

"Uh, right, it was such a shock that i forgot to inform you." He says aloud. "Sir, after the Christmas raid, Cover-Girl...she sorta kissed me?" He explained.

The Colonel turned his gaze to the driver, then to Duke, then to Scarlett. "This has to do with you, or you wouldn't be up here." He says, mostly to himself, then walks away.

"Sir, aren't you...Where you going?" Flint asks him.

"To get some Advil!"

After Col. Sharp leaves, Duke calls Cover-Girl to the stage, then nods to Scarlett. "Cover-Girl, I'm...I'm extremely sorry about what i did and said in the room that day." She started. "I was just so jealous; and hurt~that you would do that to~to me behind my back, when you~know how i feel about him~." She added as she started tearing up.

"Oh Sc~Scarlett, I'm the one who's~sorry, it's just that i~was so excited over winning back then; i did it~without even thinking." Cover-Girl replied, and the two embrace.

* * *

At the same time in a far away town, a middle-aged man with glasses is looking through his closet, and pulls out an old Class A uniform.

* * *

Chapter twenty-eight. Read and review.

*Somebody had to be in charge of those escorts.


	29. An Eye for an Eye part two

Third wave.

This will be slightly A.U.: Polly doesn't spill the beans.

Disclaimer: Skymaster23 has no connection to Disney.

* * *

A day later, Pvt. Lavigne reaches the gate station to start his shift when he notices the other M.P. on the floor. "¿Qué diablos?" He asks himself, then helps the man up. "Pete?!, You alright, man?"

"Yeah, fine; this four-eyed phony with some chest candy showed up about..." 'Pete' says, and checks his watch. "Shit, that was 23 minutes ago?!; I am so getting thrown out."

Colonel Sharp is going over some paperwork when his phone rings. "Hello; spea...Dammit; how long ago...It's not your fault, Cpl. Weaver, just have Doc check that out." He says, and hangs up to get the intercom. "Emergency alert; we have a threatcon alpha, i repeat, threatcon alpha; I want a base wide sweep, find where he or she was, and what they might have taken!"

Throughout the base, the belated search is on while the top four watch in the monitor room. On one screen is Rock 'n Roll and Stalker searching the gym. A second has Airtight and Deep-Six at a restroom. Torpedo and Quick-Kick are on a third; outside the girls quarters wondering whether they would get pummeled or not until they get yelled at to get it over with via walkie talkie.

While watching Alpine, Bazooka, Mutt, and Steeler in the Commissary, mechanic Josh walks over to Col. Sharp. "Sir, i saw our intruder earlier." He said.

"Where; how long ago?!" The Colonel asked while shaking him.

"It-It was 17 minutes ago in the hanger, while i was working on a Dragonfly; Lady-Jaye took some man in one of the jets, sir." Josh told him.

"He has her hostage?!" Flint asks, and Duke puts an arm infront of him just in case.

"Didn't look that way, sir; and i didn't report it-" Josh started to reply.

"Because he had a Class A on." Col. Sharp finished for him.

"Yeah, i thought it was an inspection or something." Josh said, looking at them nervously.

"That's alright, Pvt. Taylor, you're not at fault; what did this man look like?" Duke asked.

"He had glasses, and i think he had brown hair like she does; but he had a hat on, so i couldn't really tell." Josh replied, and Flint groaned.

"Yuh know who we're dealin' wit', Flint?" Beachhead asked.

"I do now, it's Fairmont; the man whose family got caught up in that ambush the other day." Flint explained while wondering what Alison was thinking by not reporting it, and what her punishment would be.

"Get to the map room, find out where they went; And Breaker...make a call to Gen. Abernathy!" Col. Sharp ordered, unknowingly giving a hint.

A while later, they found the pair's destination: The same island where Cobra took the laser guidance system. "Well, at least she took him to an abandoned site." Duke said aloud.

"I don't care if that damn woman took him to Disneyland, goddamn it!" Col. Sharp yelled while he pounded the console. "I want her, and Mr. Fairmont back on the double!"

After a hand twitch, Flint nods and is about to speak when Breaker cuts him off. "About that part about it being abandoned?"

"What about it!" Col. Sharp said to him.

"While i was telling the General; he...mentioned some cargo containers and drilling machines around the old volcano." He replied, and Flint's hand twitched again.

"Sir, I'll round up a company for an airdrop." He offered.

"Then get moving, man!" Col. Sharp shouts, then grabs his forearm. "And be aware, when and if you bring her back..."

"Understood, sir." Flint replied without facing him. "Dammit, what are you doing, Alison?" He thought to himself while running off.

* * *

Chapter twenty-nine. Read and review.


	30. 2nd annual Joe-lympics

Third wave.

Disclaimer: Skymaster23 has no connection to Star Wars.

* * *

After the Generals left, Lady-Jaye is outside Flint's (formerly Beachhead's) office, trying to decide if she should bother knocking or not, when she hears a voice behind her. "Yuh jes' gonna stand dere, soldier?" Beachhead asks, and she puts a hand to her chest while wondering how he managed to get so close despite the crutches.

"Jesus; Beachhead, don't...how can you be so quiet with those dumb things, even i couldn't pull that off." She asks him.

But he continues while turning around. "We ain't gat awl day; Eitheh yuh explain yuhself tuh dat girlscout in dere, or ah drag yuh ass down tuh da new course."

After clenching a fist at the 'girlscout' part, she shifts her gaze between him and Flint's office door before hearing him speak again. "Look, ah ain't deaf, Lady-Jaye; done heard plenteh 'round here 'bout yuh 'n him buhfoh showin' up; yuh ken be damn sure he's maddeh den a rabid possum at yuh, but he'll git oveh it soon enough." He then motions for her to follow him, which she does with a nod.

"I see how you got the command role now." She says, then hugs him. "Thanks; i needed that."

"Whateveh; yuh do dat tuh me again, lady, yuh gonna wash dis whole floor wit' a toothbrush!" He warned, with a glare.

Inside the office, however, Flint is at his desk listening to the two walking off while scowling. "The difference between Despair and Fear—is like the One. Between the instant of a Wreck and when the Wreck has been—The Mind is smooth—no Motion—Contented as the Eye. Upon the Forehead of a Bust—That knows—It cannot see."* He said to himself, then got up and left to get some binoculars from a supply room.

* * *

Outside the base, Lady-Jaye is led to the site, where Col. Sharp, Duke, Tollbooth, and some other people are waiting on the other side.

"Holy crap...this is the new addition?" She asks outloud after seeing the quarter mile long location up-close for the first time. "You said it was an obstacle course, not the freaking deathstar trench!"

"Hmm...guess it does look like that, now that you mention it." Tollbooth says to himself, while Alpine, Cutter, Spirit, and Snake-Eyes all agree.

"Well how about that?"/"Told you didn't i, Shipwreck?"/"Ah shut it, ya puddle pirate!"/"Sort of."/Knew it the whole time.

Ignoring them, Col. Sharp speaks. "That's right; this course here, finished three days ago, was built according to Beachhead's specifications." He said.

"He means his sadistic-ness." Rock 'n Roll says to Crankcase under his breath.

The Colonel continues. "The first section is for the testing of your reflexes." He says. "Some of these squares have miniature explosives under them; only Beachhead, Tollbooth, and Zap know which ones." He adds, then points to a metal a-frame with a rope tied around the middle. "Section two is a balance test; it has a surprise of it's own, which i will let you demonstrate to us." He says next, and walks to his left a few yards. "Fourth is the one for your lung capacity; I'll warn you, that barbed wire there is connected to enough voltage to numb your arm for an hour." He finished as he pointed to a small pool, then to a pair of cylinders with six barrels and glass covers on top.

"And...what are those things for, sir?" Scarlett asked, pointing at them with a potato peeler, since Col. Sharp decided the apology from earlier wasn't as sufficient as Duke and Flint did.

"They're for not being shot by." He replied, and Lady-Jaye raises a hand.

"Sir, are there live rounds in those things?"

"Only half of them, the rest are ball bearings."

"Oh...Wait,holdthephone; did you just say half?!" After a reminder of the alternative from The Colonel and Beachhead, she sighs and climbs down the ladder. "Thanks a lot, Gary." She says, referring to the 27th grenade javelin she used on the Rattler. She then starts running when Col. Sharp sets off the airhorn.

She goes with the green squares, figuring they are so obvious, that the grey squares are the rigged ones...only for Beachhead to set one green infront of her off from his console**. "Ahh...Okay, not symmetrical, got it." She tells herself after falling on her side, and blanches for a second when she notices a scrape on her forearm, but shrugs it off.

Green-shirt Stall looks to M.P. Lavigne after two more blasts go off. "That 4IC's a real piece of work, isn't he?"/"Shush; hope i don't end up doing something like that."

Once Lady-Jaye makes it past the checkerboard of doom, she brushes herself off and gives the next obstacle a once-over. "Should i?" she asks herself, then pulls out another javelin, and extends it for vaulting over the whole thing, surprising Beachhead so much that he forgets to turn the flamewall on.

"Wut...Do it oveh!" He shouts in a bullhorn, only for Col. Sharp to take it from him.

"Belay that; you did say course completion by any means when we started the thing."

After landing, Lady-Jaye straightens herself, and runs over to the pool and breaths in as she jumps in, and makes her way to the otherside. She is almost at her limit before she surfaces. "Heh, that wasn't so-" She says, but dives instinctively after the left machine takes a shot at her. "Aw, seriously?, Guess that settles it." She thinks to herself before diving down a bit before turning for a quick surfacing and rolls to a crouching position and runs at them, then slides in between the two, making them shoot each other.

"Wow-wee!"/"Woo-hoo; way to go, Brownie!"/"Yoo showed dem tin cans, din't yoo, Demoiselle?" Bazooka, Cover-Girl, and Gung-Ho say while Beachhead shoves the console over the edge with one of his crutches.

Over on the roof, Flint lowers the binoculars and grins as he heads back inside...while several thousand feet above, a black and gray jet makes a wide turn. "Wild Weasel to base, test flight complete, returning with full film. Over and out."

* * *

At the same time that Lady-Jaye and Beachhead were entering the elevator, on the jet headed back to Washington, the three Generals from her tribunal are speaking while General Abernathy is resting. "See, this is why we should have taken control from the start." One says.

"Absolutely; for that measly little Sergeant to shit all over our reputation is one thing, but a Colonel now?; we have to do something." A second says.

"You said it, i say we wait a few weeks, invite him over, then call up a "ride" for him...Sound good?" The third asks.

"Sounds easy enough."/"We'd have to make sure we're out of town first, but let's do it." The first two say when they hear a fourth voice.

"You heard them, men; do it." Gen. Abernathy says, turning a bit while pointing a pistol, and the three watch as a team of SEALs come out from some floor panels.

"Don't move, don't move!"/"Get on the ground, now!"/"What the hell?"/"Alright, just don't shoot!"/"Clayton, what's the meaning of this?!"

Gen. Abernathy gets out of his seat and puts his sidearm back in it's holster. "This gentlemen, is my resume to the rest of the jugglers." He says, then points to the lead SEAL. "And just so there's no hard feelings, Forrest here will keep leaving some reminders; indefinitely."

* * *

Chapter thirty. Read and review.

*The difference between despair by Emily Dickinson.

**Replacing the remote from the movie.


	31. Internal incident

Third wave.

* * *

After taking a shower and getting her scrape treated, Lady-Jaye heads to Flint's office, and knocks. "Come in." She hears, and enters. "Oh, just you...how're you doing?" He asks, and continues working.

She raises an eyebrow, but decides she misinterpreted it. "Well, i made it through Beachhead's evil little playset. Kinda sucks that you missed it; you should have seen his~seen his face when~i made that big jump in the middle." She says, while laughing at the memory, but stops when she notices his lack of reaction.

"Are you too busy right now?" She asked, and he puts his pen in it's holder

"I'm still too disappointed." He replies while looking up at her, and she frowns.

"Flint, i know what i did was wrong, but..." She started to say.

"But it was just like that second time with the Primords." He added, only for her to shake her head.

"No, worse; this...what i did to his family was..." She tries to say, and Flint cuts her off.

"I get that you felt responsible; but dammit woman, what you did afterwards was not the way to fix it!" He shouted, making her stand up.

"What thae hell did ye just call me?!" She asked just as loud. For Beachhead to call her that at some point in the future, she could accept, but to hear it from Flint was unthinkable until now.

"You stole G.I. Joe property; you let a civilian waltz all over the base."

"So did Quick-Kick!"

"That is not the same; that girl was detected and escorted according to procedure!"

While the two keep yelling, Duke runs in. "Could you keep it down please, I'm trying to talk with someone on the phone." He asks them, and they apologize before turning to each other.

"Lets continue this at Barbecue's place." Flint says, and the two leave in separate cars after getting the key from his barracks room. Once inside the clubhouse, Flint leans against a support beam. "I'm sorry for yelling; it's just that you piss me off when you go off on your own like that." He says, watching her sit on the couch's armrest with her legs crossed. "I love you; but i just can't help but think how it will affect my duty to the others if you do that again; and don't come back."

"...I know, i know; but it's the agent in me, we're at our best when on our own." She replied while looking down.

"Well maybe i can do something about that." He says, looking out the window.

"You can...how so?" She asks, and gulps after leaning forward.

"I...I was working on a form just before you came in." He says, and pulls it from his back pocket.

Halfway through reading, she crumples the sides. "A form?!; This is a fucking resignation letter!" She says in a growl, then smushes it into a ball and throws it. "What the hell are you thinking!"

He picks the ball up and unfolds it. "Lady-Jaye, hold it; I want you to be safe by leaving, so sign it." He asks.

"Flint, no; I want you to be safe by staying, so forget it." She tells him with a tearful glare. He tries to ask again, but is interrupted. "Shut up, don't speak to me again you ba~stard!" She yells before running out the door.

After hearing her car speed off, he sighs. "Well, now i can definitely forget buying that ring." He tells himself, then kicks over the record player.

* * *

Chapter thirty-one. Read and review.


	32. Disguise?

Third wave.

A month later, while the Moes head for the infirmary after making their rounds, Cover-Girl sees something inbetween two catalogues from them. "What's that ye got?" Green-shirt McCabe asks, looking over her shoulder.

"It's from Beachhead; says he wants you, Stall, and that new girl Singh to report to the P.T. cour...No way!" Cover-Girl replied, and has the sheet taken from her.

"What thae bloody hell...is this serious?!" McCabe asked outloud, and her senior raises a hand.

"Wait, just wait; this might not be what we think it is." She suggests. "Maybe this is just one of those morale building thingies, so go find the other two." She says next, and starts to snort with laughter once McCabe is in the elevator.

26 minutes after that.

Grunt is speaking with Ripcord, Barbecue, and Thunder when his jaw drops. After a couple seconds, Ripcord waves a hand infront of his face. "Hello, earth to grunt, are you-Gimme a sec, Thun...der." He says as he is nudged and sees the other man pointing. When he does so, he sees the three Green-shirts walking by. "Wow...Those other three are not going to like that."

Once at the course, Beachhead is waiting by the repaired control when he sees the trio, and the small crowd of men behind them, and does a double take. "Wut da hell?; Wut'r yuh doin' wawlkin' around laik dat fer?" He asked, seeing Green-shirts McCabe dressed like Lady-Jaye, Stall dressed like Scarlett, and Singh dressed like Cover-Girl.

The three stare in confusion before McCabe shows the paper. "Ye erderd thae three of us tae do this, sair; says soo right here in triplaecate." She explains.

"Lemme see da thang; 'n dun' cawl me sair...ah mean...jes' gimme dat." He asks, and reads all three layers. "Looks laik y'all been had; Dis ain't mah signaturah, not tuh mention da date on it."

McCabe takes the form back and the trio recheck it before they all scowl at the date: 4/1/1987.

"Son of a bitch!"

* * *

Chapter thirty-two. Read and review.


	33. Reunion part one

Third wave.

* * *

In the base's gym; after Snow-Job, Nash, and Blais are chased out by Deep-Six and Lavigne for the prank on McCabe and Stall, Spirit shakes his head and opens his letter. "Bad news?" Zap asks, turning the treadmill off after seeing the tracker's hands shaking.

"For you to shake like a twig, must be something big." Roadblock said while he, Zap, and Airborne walk over.

Spirit looks up to them and explains. "It's from Vena; our grandfather has passed away."

Everyone in the room stopped and turned as he walked out for Col. Sharp's office. After Duke talked him into letting Spirit leave (with two Green-shirts), he is in his barracks room packing when he sees one of his headbands tossed in his bag. He looks back to see Quick-Kick, who's standing there with the other six from the crystal incident. "Has he changed his mind already?" Spirit asked in a grumble.

"Nope, we all heard about yer loss, buddy." Shipwreck says for the group. "So when do we leave?"

Spirit looks at each of them. "You need not trouble yourselves; I'll be fine."

"Nothin' doin'; we went through that togetha..." Barbecue says to him. "And we'll go through this the same way."

"Besides, i already phoned my old man, so my ma probably spread the word by now." Thunder says next, and Freedom screeches.

"You as well...We'll have to inform The Colonel; but okay...Thank you, my friends." Spirit replies, and they all leave for The Colonel's office.

A day later, a bunch of vehicles stops at the reservation where Vena and a young man are waiting. "Welcome back, cousin." She says when he walks out of his truck, and points to her companion.

"Isn't that Sam, i thought you said he was a bit dul-" Spirit tried to ask, but was cut off.

"Yes, but that was years ago; i just changed how i think of people." Vena says.

"And we've been going out for a few weeks now." 'Sam' said next.

Thunder's sister walked over to her. "Cool, so you're just like me and Frank." She said as she pointed to one of Scarlett's brothers while Jesse got a grossed out look on his face.

"When did that happen?" Scarlett asked Thunder.

"She and her old boyfriend broke up after he got arrested for drug possession. Knew it the whole time, by the way."/"I told you that was none of your beeswax!"

"Hey, the rest came too?" Vena asked next, and noticed one unfamiliar face next to Quick-Kick. "Who's she?"

"My older sister, Na Rae; my folks couldn't make it since they had to fix the shop." He says, and explains that some old guy drove into the entrance two days earlier.

"How come the snakes didn't nab her back then?" Barbecue asks him.

"Probably because i moved to Florida a few years earlier." She replied.

"And my dad's arthritis was flaring up again, so Sean and Brian stayed behind." Scarlett added.

"I see; well, I'm still glad the rest of you could show up, thank you so much." Vena says, and leads them to her house to prepare.

* * *

Chapter thirty-three. Read and review.


	34. Progress report

Third wave.

* * *

The week after having all his socks folded inside out by someone, (probably Snake-Eyes due to the lack of evidence of intrusion) Stalker is in Col. Sharp's office when the phone rings. "Hello?"

"Stalker?...Where's Col. Sharp, i want to know why those P.S.A.s stopped?!" Gen. Abernathy asks him.

Stalker wiggled a finger in his ear before replying. "The Colonel is down in assembly, sir, introducing some new Green-shirts; but i can have Breaker fax over the reasons; he's in it too, by the way."

"...Go ahead, son." The General replies, then shouts to Morelli to wait at the fax machine. A few minutes later, he is given a list about some of the Joes being refused by the studio and why.

Operative 1. Flash.  
Reason for dismissal: Arguing with cameraman over the angle, location, and screen time.

Operative 2. Cover-Girl.  
Reason for dismissal: Mother of selected child is related to one of her former photographers.

Operative 3. Breaker.  
Reason for dismissal: His radio was interfering with the microphones; and argued with selected child for stealing his gum.

Operative 4. Ace.  
Reason for dismissal: Several female employees and selected child's teenage sister were crowding him, thus delaying the segment.

Operative 5. Tripwire.  
Reason for dismissal: Damaged some of the equipment; injured himself and an intern.

After reading that, he asks if they found anything about the housing project Extensive Enterprises was funding.

"Scarlett and i told him, but he brushed it off." Stalker told him while shrugging.

"Brushed it off; what for?!"

"Because he's one of those by-the-book types." Stalker thought before replying. "Since we didn't find anything connecting it to Cobra, his orders are to do nothing."

"Hmm...Can i speak with Duke?"

"Sorry, he took Alpine, Barbecue, and Bazooka for a mission to Egypt eighteen hours ago to meet with Lady-Jaye. Cobra sub was seen by them and the Turk's yesterday." Stalker tells him.

"Uh-huh; She and Flint still having that dispute?" The General asked next, having heard about their falling out.

"Afraid so; partly why she was taken along." Stalker replied.

"Partly?" The General asked, and twitches an eye when told Flint set up her javelins to spell "Shady Lady" on the base's golf course. "Was he disciplined for it?"

"Yeah, he was sent to the pool with a toothbrush."

"Good; Beachhead?"

"He's supervising a rifle cleaning session."

"I see...As you were, Stalker."

"Yes sir."

After hanging up the phone, The General makes another call. "Dr. Gilbert, this is Abernathy calling for some aspirin."

* * *

Chapter thirty-four. Read and review.


	35. The Gods Below

Third wave.

* * *

In an Egyptian street, Duke's team is looking around the designated rendezvous spot. "Any of ya see 'er?" Barbecue asks.

"Nope." Bazooka replies while looking in an oil lamp.

"Don't bother, I've tried." Alpine says next, seeing the firefighter glance at him.

"Might as well stay put; she'll find us." Duke tells them, and is bumped into by a person with a basket of some kind of fruit.

"Oh, my apologies sir; have one, please. It's got vitamin J in it." The "vendor" says, Duke glances around a bit before taking one as instructed before the op started.

"Meet me at this hotel room in two hours." She says quietly, and gives him a note before walking off. At the time and place, the team is eating when they hear the agreed upon knock. Alpine checks the door and asks for the password. "Sigma 6." He hears, and unlocks the door.

Once the two sit down, they start speaking. "Did you find out why Cobra's here, Lady-Jaye?" Duke asked.

"I did; some locals spoke about a blackhaired reporter speaking with a Dr. Marsh, who disappeared hours later." She answered, and Duke narrows his eyes.

"The Baroness...Anything else?"

"Just that this Dr. located a new tomb; one he claims is for Osiris."

"One of their, what were they called again; it starts with an F, right?" Barbecue asks, but she shakes her head.

"It's spelled P-h-a-r-a-o-h; but no, Osiris was one of their gods." She explains.

"How long ago was this tomb been discovered?" Duke asks.

"Recently enough that no looting has happened." She replies.

"Not yet, anyway." Duke added, to which she nods.

"So um, you two still having that...disagreement?" Alpine asks, not noticing Bazooka and Barbecue backing away from him.

"Hmph, I'm doing fine; that man is the one being disagreeable, Alpine. I don't know whaf eh efer...saw in him." She replies while taking a bite of some hawawshi.

"You sure?" Duke asks next, making her turn. "You did staple some of his spare uniforms to the shooting targets, afterall."

"Only because that pig headed, piece of crap, stone faced jackass tossed my linger...my laundry in a pot of gumbo, isn't that just the worst?" She asked with a scowl.

"...You're, uh, you're asking me that, right?" He asks her while raising an eyebrow.

"Damn right i am." She replies, making him lower his head in dismay. "Really makes me wonder if I've somehow gone back to the time when he was a total jerk face who thought he was so special; duh, i got so many soldiers in my family, and big arms to go with my tiny brain...Tha mi an dòchas gu bheil a leabhraichean uile a 'tionndadh gu luath!*"

* * *

Hours later, another black and gray jet is far above an Egyptian army base. In the rear seat, a Tele-Viper is watching a screen, and radios the pilot while her visor reads: Gotcha, suckers. "Pilot, inform The Commander we spotted 5 Joes, looks like one is getting under a local troop transport."

"Acknowledged; Strato-Viper Raven calling Cobra Commander, Joe presence confirmed, they're with a national army motorized unit." The pilot says.

"Excccellent, return to bassse." Cobra Commander ordered, then turns to the Baroness and the Crimson Guardsmen. "We'll let them enter first once they get here...if they survive the bombing."

* * *

After tying up the Crims, the Joes are changing into their uniforms. "I wonder what Scarlett'll say when i mention this." Lady-Jaye says to herself.

"Please don't, this one's cologne is bad enough."

"Just joking...Don't think i didn't see you peeking just now, Alpine!"

"Aw, would i do a thing like that?; Don't answer it, Bazook."

"Okay."

"Kinda feels like I'm back at tha station, wearin' somethin' nice and baggy."

* * *

In the pit where the Crimson Guardsmen are, the false floor is starting to move. Just as they think that they have been located by The Commander...or an angry mummy, they all fall over in shock as they see an orange headed giant instead. "What is this now?" they hear it ask, and their gags untie themselves.

"Did we run out of oxygen just now?"/"I dunno."/"It's not gonna eat us, is it?"/"Shut up."/"Might be less painful if he does."

A few minutes after levitating the unknown mortals out and up against a wall to the left of the chamber, Set sees several people next to his hated brother's helm.

* * *

Once the gas wears off, Cobra Commander gets up to see the helm underneath a giant. Thinking back to his history lessons in Cobra-La, he recognizes it as Set, a being not even Golobulus would dare cross, and he hears his voice in his mind.

"I know you feign ignorance, son of Cobra-La; and that they have begun to prepare for their return. Do you honestly think i will allow this?" Set asks.

"Me...no, never; i can offer, on behalf of my liege, to keep this location untouched by the rebuilding effort, oh ageless one." Cobra Commander replies, and hears him chuckle.

"...I accept, once you take what you seek, tell your master that he is not unseen." Set says, and then plays along. "Who intrudes upon my domain?"

* * *

After drying off and getting back to the nearest town, Duke phones H.Q. "Hello, Breaker?"

"Breaker here, how'd it go?; I noticed some odd weather over there." He hears.

"Took awhile and we almost bought it in the weirdest way so far; sorry we've been out of contact for so long." Duke tells him.

"Thanks, but why?" Breaker asks him.

"What do you mean why, we were down...there for six and a half hours." Duke says to him.

"Really?; The static was only for five seconds." Breaker said, making him go wide-eyed.

* * *

Chapter thirty-five. Read and review.

*I hope his books turn to ash.


	36. Downtime part thirty-three

Third wave.

* * *

After a comment from Duke to The Colonel about how the Egyptian's armor was knocked out too easily, and while Flash is going to Dr. Rich's office after the President's speech in Berlin; Lavigne, Stall, Blais, Cover-Girl, Steeler, Recondo, Lady-Jaye, and Quick-Kick are leaving the base for the Keystone drive-in to watch a recently made film called Lethal Weapon. On the way there, Cover-Girl looks over to Blais, who she had been speaking with a few times after he found her in the sideroom after the thing between her and Scarlett. "You think this films going to be any good, Rob?" She asked him.

"Dem commercials fer it was, so prob'ly." He replied with a shrug since he mentioned to the group how his town had no theaters in it. "But, ahm sure it be bettah watchin wit' someone wit' ya, ain't it, Mizz C?" He asks, and gets a grin from her.

"You said it." She replied, then leaned over to give a peck on his cheek.

Once at the lot, he parks his 58 Buick next to the other's cars and they all get their tickets and snacks. While the film plays, Stall puts a straw in Lavigne's soda slushy after talking about how Barbecue used the tomb's air pipes to drench Cobra Commander*. "Can't wait to see this; how about you, Chris?" She asked while leaning against him.

"Me neither, querida." He tells her before taking a bite from the candy bar she's holding.

While in Recondo's car, he is only listening to her go on about how much better she is is without Flint. "You know he would always do these lame voice overs during the previews?"/"No idea."/"Well it was just so hard to tell whether they were the annoying part, or being with him was."/"You don't say."

After some more back and forth, Recondo rolls his eyes until she says she wishes Marissa were here so she could ask for her opinion, causing him to grab her collar. "Do not bring her into this, dammit; if you really hate Flint so much, you have a funny way of showing it." He tells her before giving a slight shove.

"Right, i sho-shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry; but still, what do you mean?" She asks him, finishing with a hand twitch.

"I mean that the whole base knows that both of you are waiting for a reason, any reason to get back together." He says, but she shakes her head.

* * *

"Over my dead body." Flint says to Alpine, then reloads his rifle. "I will not have anything to do with that spook, she's underhanded, and she acts before she thinks." He tells him, before adding. "I take that back."/"Thank yo-"/"She doesn't think, she just runs off and tosses her toothpicks everywhere."

Alpine; and Wild Bill and Roadblock (who are doing mortar practice on their left) all roll their eyes, and the former replies. "Ah, bag your face...sir; there's a reason me and the other guys haven't made a move on her."

Flint takes another shot before looking to him. "And that is?" He asks, not noticing his hand twitch.

"Because ya done made a mistake when y'all split up. Why dere's even a wager goin' round fer which of ya will be first ta bury da hatchet." Wild Bill says.

"And you better do so fast, man; cause we can't take much more of the racket." Roadblock added, but Flint just shakes his head and continues shooting.

* * *

Elsewhere, a mostly bald woman with a black ponytail steps onto a platform, and turns to a second person. "Beginning procedure." The second one says, and squeezes a bulbous object on a wall, causing two objects holding two halves of what seems like a human woman's body to swing down slowly.

Once the "shell" merges into a single piece, she steps off and gets some modern clothing on and watches as two tendrils move toward her, one with an eye on it, and the second widening into a mouth. "Now, you will proceed to the Indian Ocean to deliver the DNA from the Quintessons and the anti-vegetation ingredients; then go to North America to implant a psychic motivator into a Dr. Massey." Instructs a voice from it.

"Yes, sire." The woman replies, and walks out.

* * *

Chapter thirty-six. Read and review.

*Made up to replace Bazooka's shooting scene.


	37. Primordial Plot

Third wave.

* * *

When the group gets back from the theater, they are met by a med team, along with Col. Sharp and Duke. "We got a complaint from the theater manager, said you started a fight out there." The Colonel said.

"No, they did when that smelly puff adder gro...er, grabbed me." Stall replied.

"And he informed me of a recording made during that unpleasant evening with one of The Twins, so we both reminded him about manners." Lady-Jaye added.

After glancing at each other, Col. Sharp asks who they are referring to. "The Dreadnoks, sir; they showed up around 15 minutes after we did." Steeler answered.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier, man?!" The Colonel asked loudly.

"Oh, well...we were going to, but it turns out they were just there for the film like we were." Quick-Kick explains. "In fact, Zartan himself came up with this idea to switch one member of each group; so we got Buzzer, they got Recondo."

After speaking with some witnesses, the charge's from the manager and police chief were dropped; but the group is still given K.P.

* * *

Two weeks later, Deep-Six watches the Rattler circle around above him through his S.H.A.R.C.'s peri-cam. "Come on, you can't see me mac, so buzz off already." He says to himself before it eventually does so. Two hours later, he hears from Flint that they see his beacon signal. "Understood, returning to the Flagg; good luck, you three." He says, and gets 147 yards before he hears from them again.

"Scarlett to Deep-Six, we're ejecting; warn Flagg that they have S.A.M. emplacements!"

He growls in irritation and is about to turn back when he notices four blips behind him on his sonar screen. "Deep-Six to Flagg, I'll be bringing some guests with me, show them the welcome mat...U.S.S. Flagg, do you copy?" He asked, only to get another bad sign.

"Sa-zzz-ain, D-zzzz-mming-zzz." He hears back, and pounds the panel before seeing some new blips coming from the nearest of the four. He curses and releases a countermeasure, which manages to get one of them, but the second hits him on starboard.

"Shit; hope i can still go vertical after that." He asks himself, and begins to surface, only to notice a Moray with some object under it, which shoots out a cable that hits just behind his canopy and causes his S.H.A.R.C. to turn off before reeling him in.

* * *

At the same time, Flint feels the jolt from the missile impact, and hears Scramble's voice from the radio. "Flint, when we land, I'm going to set off a blast, so be sure to get clear."

"Will you...can you even feel something like that?" Flint asks the Autobot while pulling at the throttle, still uneasy about the revelation he was shown earlier.

"To an extent; but it will be in a non-vital area, so I'll be fine. It won't be any worse than what you're about to feel." Scramble explained.

* * *

Once the mission is over, a bunch of landingcraft arrive on the beach and unload some A.W.E. Strikers, Armadillos, and V.A.M.P.s. When they get close enough to the enemy base, Duke, Doc, and Recondo get out of the lead vehicle and are lead inside while stepping around what's left of a Blue-shirt. "Even they don't deserve to go out like that." Recondo says aloud.

"So how'd it feel switching places with me, Flint?" Duke asked after nodding to the jungle trooper.

"It went well enough; kind of like...back during that, uh, that time at the...dude ranch with Cover-Girl." Flint replied while removing his beret to wipe his forehead.

"You sure...you're not looking too good, should probably head over to Doc." Duke says, and turns around when they hear Scarlett running over. "As for you, how'd it go?" He asks her.

"Well, i can see what Lady-Jaye sees in him now." She says, causing him to raise an eyebrow until he realizes that she's only teasing. The two embrace until she cringes and covers her nose. "Pee-yew; were you sitting too close to Beach, or something?" She asks him.

Duke blinks and looks himself over, then notices something around his right boot...something that isn't mud. "Aw, when did that happ-" He starts to ask when they hear a thud. "What th...Flint; Doc, get over here!"

* * *

Chapter forty-six. Read and review.


	38. Recovery

Third wave.

* * *

While Flint was being sent to the Flagg's sickbay, Dr. Massey is in the guest quarters speaking with Duke and Scarlett; the first of the pair asks. "So when did you come up with this process, Dr.?"

"Honestly, the idea came to me in a strange dream i had after getting back from a restaurant, one that later was on the news; seems the waitress who gave me my order committed suicide that same night." Dr. Massey explains, and Duke glances to Scarlett.

"...There might be a connection there; we'll look into it when we get back to the states." She told the professor, who nodded.

* * *

Flint wakes up to see a ceiling, and realizes he's back in H.Q. "O...kay, how'd i get back here and what's pushing down on me?" He asks himself before noticing two other things as he sits up, one being the short bed rails and an IV, and the other being the brown haired weight on his midsection. "What the hell are you doing here?" He asks, only to recoil when Lady-Jaye raises her head, showing that she had been crying about something.

"Flint?; Oh thank god." She said as she latched onto him. "I take it back, all of it." After he asks why, she lets go and explains. "After Duke's squad landed, you collapsed infront of him, so he had Doc check on you."

"I'll admit i was feeling a bit off during it, but was it bad enough for that just now?" He asks, and she sniffled.

"Flint, it was...You w~were dead!" She told him as her eyes welled up again.

"I was what...how?!" He asked next, since he didn't recall seeing any pearly gates while he was out.

She wipes her face and continues. "You~Doc said that one of those...dinosaurs might have been bit~by a mosquito or something, and that it also got you and transferred something that it had~which mixed with a fever you had after~after your crash; you~flatlined~for more than 10 seconds."

Flint lays back down and palms his face. "That would explain why i feel like i had some of Cutter's meatloaf right now." He says, making her grin. "Was i really..."

"You were also out for two days; when i heard~that~awful sound, i just...it was like~it was like when i lost my mother all over ag~ai~n." She said, whimpering at the halfway point, and grabbed him again.

"...It's alright, baby, it's alright." He says, and puts an arm around her, wiping her tears with the other while he gets used to the scent of her shampoo and the warmth of her body again.

"This mean the~the feud's over?" She asks, shutting her eyes while his hand moves from her back to her face.

"Hatchet buried." He replied while stroking her cheek.

"Great; No more rearranging your books, and no more frogs in my drawers." She suggests while a smile forms.

"Deal...So what happened with the rest of us?" He asked as he did the same.

"Gung-Ho stuffed himself and busted a hand after a disagreement with an ankylosaurus, then got placed in one of the 3 iso-tents to determine if you were the only one who was sick."

"What about Deep-Six, did he give Scarlett's warning?"

"Oh, he had a few enemy subs shooting at him according to Ledger; but we took out all the launchers." She told him, just before both hear someone at the door.

"Aw nuts, they kissed and made out already!" Shipwreck says, leaning in with Snow-Job, Ace, Footloose, and Rock 'n Roll.

"Don't you mean "made up"?" Ace asked, while he and the other three look at him.

"I already missed the reality, so don't take away my fantasy of it, alright?" Shipwreck pleaded.

"Whatever; i totally won the bet, man." Footloose tells him, getting a headlock in response.

"Me too; get well soon, sir." Snow-Job says.

"Yeah...Rutherford." Ace and Rock 'n Roll both added.

Flint clenches his fists at the name. "Ruther...who-who might that be?" He asks while an eye started twitching.

"Eh, don't bother." Shipwreck says while going through Footloose's pocket. "Ya been babbling it the whole time." He added before making a pretend pouty face. "No~o; don' wanna be Dashiell Rutherford, mommy...Hahaheha!"

"Forget that right now, all of you; that's an order!"

"Aye Aye, Rutherford, sir!"

"Jaye, help me get this needle out so i can stick it up his ass!"

* * *

Chapter thirty-eight. Read and review.


	39. Flint's Vacation

Third wave.

* * *

A week later, Flint is discharged from Doc's care and ordered by him and Col. Sharp to take some time off. Two hours after he left in his AC Ace, which he bought after his Fiat was stolen during the seashell incident, Lady-Jaye passes the finish line of the obstacle course. "11 minutes?...Even da lazy-ass gob ken go fasteh den'at." Beachhead says to her.

In the assembly room.

"This is my rifle; there are many like it, but this one is mine." She says...nowhere near as loud as the others.

In the barracks.

"Brownie, it's your turn...Wake up!" Cover-Girl says while the two are playing a cardgame with Cutter, Blowtorch, and Snake-Eyes.

"Huh, oh right, right."

A day later, the phone rings in the monitor room. "Breaker here...Sure, give me a sec." He says, and transfers it to the rec-room.

"Hello?"

"Lady-Jaye; boy, am i glad to hear your voice."

"Fl~lint, i knew you'd miss me; so, how's Pleasant Cove?"

* * *

While Flint is climbing up the cliff, Zartan pulls over and sees the broken rail. "What happened to the-don't tell me the car went down there?!" He shouts to the two Blue-shirts while getting out.

"Afraid so, sir...561 did it." Trooper 688 tells him, pointing at the departing F.A.N.G.

"Did he now?" Zartan asked and opened up the trunk, pulling out an FIM-92 and shoots it down.

* * *

While being led to the sub, Flint turns to Zartan. "This sure takes me back, you four being lousy cops and all."

"What are you getting at; we've never done this before." Zartan tells him turning around.

"Oh sure you have, right before you got blown up by driving into a statue, that is." Flint replied while Torch and Ripper shrug at each other, and Buzzer twirled a finger at his head while pointing a thumb at him.

"...Whatever, atleast i don't have a crappy gay name like Dashiell." Zartan says, then shoves him.

"Don't i know it...What's your real one, anyway?"

"It's shut the hell up, now keep walking!" Zartan shouted.

* * *

After seeing Flint on the TV, Lady-Jaye goes to the phone. "Who're you calling?" Quick-Kick asks her.

"That cousin of his; if it really was him." She replies before dialing the number Flint gave before he left.

"Hello?" Ted asked in an unnerving tone.

"Hi, this is Lady-Jaye speaking."

"I see. How pleasant to talk with you again; do you need something?"

"I was wondering if Flint is still there." She asks while clenching her right hand.

"We haven't spoken to Flint in over a month."

"Bullshit." She thinks before replying. "But that's impossible. He called me from your house two days ago." After she hears Ted hang up, she dials another number.

"Duke here. You saw him too, i take it."

"Yes i did; alert carrier command."

* * *

On the way to the transport plane, Green-shirt Sikorski glances over to Lady-Jaye. "You sure about going by air...i heard something about you having that height phobia." He says, but she shakes her head.

"Thanks for the concern, but I've been getting over that."

"You have?"

"Yeah, turns out falling from a few hundred feet a few times really helps with that."

"Ah...wait, what?"

* * *

In the hilltop broadcast building.

"Should i do this?" Bazooka asks, tapping the board against his butt. "Or maybe this?" He asked next while pulling a booger out and sticking it on.

"I~'d say the se~cond one; the fir~first'll just~just make you sick." Breaker replied, barely able to keep a straight face.

"Okay."

* * *

After leaving the group, Lady-Jaye runs after Flint, only to find three paths. "Crap, which one?" She says to herself, only for Tripwire to show up from the one of the left with Flint still chasing him.

"Alright, I'll never take the last hotdog from the package ever again, so stop it!" He shouts, too busy running to notice her grab Flint's leg.

"Tripwire, you can stop running; now hurry and find the launch silo!"

"Huh...oh, got it." He replies.

* * *

On the way to the surface, Flint is speaking with his rescue party. "I really did all that?"

"Sure, you were like "rahh", and Trip was all "Leave me alone, i don't have any lunch money!" Quick-Kick told him.

"I was luring him away from you guys." Tripwire said while pointing at him.

"Yeah right, you were wetting yourself the whole time." Shipwreck replied.

Flint walks away while they start arguing. He eventually finds Lady-Jaye in the radio room speaking with Admiral Ledger. "-e reaching you shortly, sir. Over and out." After removing the headphones, she pauses and turns before standing and embracing him. "That was a close one, wasn't it."

"You said it; was i really about to drown us?" Flint asked, also wondering if this was what she went through each time she's been held captive.

"Don't talk; just do me a favor, would you?" She pleaded.

"Anything." He replied.

"Shut the door." She said softly.

"After what we just...Oh, alright." He replied, knowing that this time will be different. Once he does so, she grabs his face and kisses him deeply.

* * *

Chapter thirty-nine. Read and review.


	40. Hearts and Cannons

Third wave.

* * *

On July 7th, Col. Sharp calls Wild Bill, Cover-Girl, and Dusty to his office. "Ya wanted ta see us, sir?" Wild Bill asked after the three sat down.

"I did; we've been organizing a practice shore landing for Aruba...however, a clerical error resulted in the Mauler we assigned for it being sent to Arabia instead." The Colonel explained.

"And you want us to go over and bring it back, right?" Dusty asked him.

"Precisely. Your orders are to locate and secure the Mauler; and if necessary, destroy it." He tells them. "Any questions?"

"No sir."

"Dismissed."

Half an hour after the three have taken off, The Colonel is approached by Beachhead. "We gat a prablem, sir."

"What kind, exactly?"

"Footloose; he hasn't shown up fer P.T."

"I'll let the M.P.'s know to st..." Col. Sharp starts to say, then rushes to the window.

"Yuh know where he is, sir?"

While the jet is flying over Tennessee, Cover-Girl is headed for the restroom when she recoiled after seeing Footloose inside sleeping. "Close the window, ma." He mumbles before she glares at him and leans over.

"There's dinner for you if you wake up." She says quietly.

"Dinn...Huh-what, what're we havi...Ow, quit it!" He says as she puts her boot in his face.

"Filet of sole, retard; what the hell are you doing in there?!" She asked while backing off and putting her fists on her hips.

"Um, cleaning...Ow, by nozz; un bhok by nozz!"

"Hey, what's all the fuss...Why's Footloose up here?" Dusty asks after exiting the cockpit.

A day after arranging for the stowaway to have a whole week under Beachhead's supervision, the Joes land at an airbase in Saudi Arabia where their tank is. "Ahlan wa sahlan bekum; It is a pleasure to neat you, i am Col. El-Hashem of sea Royal Saudi Air Force." The base commander says.

"Well, thanks a bunch dere, sir; and no offense, but some of yer words are a tad..." Wild Bill tells him.

"Oh; forgave me, i am still leaning you're language." The Colonel explained while bowing his head. "You are sea one in church here?"

"No problem, sir...And Wild Bill's muh name, dat's Dusty, Footloose, 'n Cover-Girl; now let's git dat dere Mauler back to da stables, shall we?" Wild Bill tells him before the latter Joe walked up.

"Hmm; you half women in your military?" The Colonel asked, causing her to stop.

"Just in our little corner of it, me and two others along with a hundred secondaries, sir; what's it to..."

"Hold yer horse's both'a ya, we ain't here tuh cause no ruckus!" Wild-Bill shouts while getting inbetween her and the Colonel.

"...Out off respect for both off our countries relations, i well ignore this." Col. El-Hashem says after a huff.

Cover-Girl nods and heads over to the Mauler, only to look back after placing a hand on the tank. "What's the big idea?"

"What's the matter?" Dusty asks, and she tells them the Mauler is a wooden fake.

"Hey, she's right; what gives, man?" Footloose says.

"Y'all fixin' tuh to pull a fast one on us, eh?" Wild Bill added while getting in the Colonel's face.

"كنت تجرؤ يتهمنا السرقة؟!*" He growled while shoving him away before the truck drivers exited and aimed at him and the Joes. "ماذا تفعل؛ وضع هذه الأسلحة أسفل والجنود!**" He ordered, but is ignored.

"Sorry, we already got an order." The one on the right says, and shoots him in the arm. "And it's to take the real tank for testing...Cobra!"

"Aw crap, take cover!" Dusty says while he and Cover-Girl pull the Col. to safety.

As Footloose shoots the disguised Blue-shirt, more come out from a panel on the back of the facsimile, and a short firefight ensues until the base's troops join in. Once it's over, Wild Bill walks up to one of the survivors. "Ok, fess up; wut'd y'all do wit' da real one?" The Blue-shirt spits in his face, causing the pilot to turn him towards the locals. "Do dat tuh me again and ah'll let dem ask ya!"

When the airmen grin menacingly, the Blue-shirt answers. "Alright, it's on its way to a firing range 400 miles east of here."

"They say we can borrow some F-15s." Dusty says after speaking with one of the airmen.

"Well let's light us some candles." Wild Bill replies while putting his pistols in their holsters. "Yo Joe!" Going along with Footloose while the other two follow in a jeep, he switches to a Joe frequency and informs H.Q. of the situation. Four minutes later, he sees a trail at 11oClock low. "Whisky Bravo here, ah've spotted da truck; requestin' permission tuh fire."

"Permission granted, but warning shots first; if it doesn't stop, you know what to do." Col. Sharp replied.

"Roger that, sir." Wild Bill says before switching to the M61A1 and dives for a strafing run. "Slip us a fakeroo will'ya?; Yo Joe!" He says aloud before giving off a burst.

"Woohoo...in your face, snake breath!" Footloose added.

Down on the ground, the driver slams the brake when the sand explodes infront of him and gets on the radio. "Trooper 2710 to base, we've got a Saudi jet on our ass, requesting air support." He asks, but is denied.

"Negative, we cannot allow them to discover this location before the experiment is finished." Major Bludd tells him. "Jut arm the explosives you planted in the Joe's tank before they arrive."

The Blue-shirt throws the handset at the floor. "Dammit...Go set the charges, I'll get the gear so we can walk back to base." He tells the other Blue-shirt, but sees him look out the window at something. "Is it making another run?"

"No, there's a jeep coming up behind us, looks like the jig's up." The other one says, and turns around, only to be shot in the face.

"Bullshit; they ain't getting that tank back if i can help it!" 2710 says aloud, and gets out to climb on the back, firing at the jeep while heading to the hatch before being killed.

"Nice shot, Cover-Girl." Dusty says, and she gives a thumbs up from over her shoulder before calling Wild Bill. "Tell the Col. that we got it."

"Will do, pardner. Good work down there." Wild Bill replies, and heads back to the airbase. Once they finish removing the Cobra charges, they get a call over the jeep's radio. "It's me again; just got word from Flint about dat shootin' gallery da snake mentioned..."

* * *

Two days later, while Dr. Winters is standing on the mine, Footloose is in a room with some copies of him, one with a mortarboard and taped up glasses, a second in civilian clothes, and a third only wearing gym shorts, he puts his fingers in his mouth and whistle, causing a projector to fall from somewhere above them which shows Dr. Winters and Dusty from his viewpoint. "Listen up; I got, like, a jumbo sized dilemma: how to, like, keep me, the totally bodacious researcher i rescued, and that other guy...from getting blown to smithereens and/or away from Cobra?" He asks them.

The second one raises a hand. "I think you should wait for the goons to disarm the mine, then you and Dusty can bump'em off and take their Stinger."

"Bitchin' plan, Casual Andy... but there's, like, a dozen of them...next."

The third one gives his idea. "Just wait for the fang freaks to get in arms length, then shove goggle boy on the mine so you and the babe with the brains can make a run for it."

Footloose and the other two all stare at the third. "Fraid that's a dud; sure I'd get the girl, but only until i get executed for life...How about you, Professor Andy?"

The first one adjusts his glasses before walking to the screen. "The personification of your masculinity, vhile lacking morality, does have a sound solution." He tells them as he pulls out a telescoping pointer. "The mass of one, Dr. Vinters, maybe the only thing preventing the mine from preforming it's function; but it is not-"

"Yeah yeah, get to the point already, four-eyes." Jock Andy asks while yawning.

The first one mumbles under his breath before continuing. "...It is not the only object in arms length vith the density required to prevent detonation; if you turn around, you vill see a pile of stones being used to secure that barricade, any of them will be more than sufficient."

The other two mutter to each other before nodding. "Sounds good to me, man."/"Same here, go for it." They say, and everything fades out.

Footloose then opens his eyes before Dusty starts talking. "Looks like this is it; nice knowing the both of ya."

But Footloose stands and voices his disagreement. "Hey, lets not call it a night yet, good buddies, I'm seeing something cosmic here..."

* * *

Chapter forty. Read and review.

*You dare to accuse us of theft?!

**What are you doing; put those weapons down, soldiers!


	41. Memories of Mara

Third wave.

* * *

Somewhere in the Atlantic, a Permit-class is out on routine patrol when her sonar operator speaks up. "Sir, two unknown objects approaching from port aft; range 3000 and closing fast."

Commander Jordan turns to his radio man. "Hail them."

"Aye Aye, sir...Attention, this is U.S.S. Nerka; identify yourselves...Repeat, identify yourselves or you will be fired on." The sailor says.

"This is Cobra submarine 64; surrender your vessel and it's weapon system immediately; this is your only warning." Is the reply.

Commander Jordan gives a huff. "No chance; left full rudder, and flood the tubes." As the Nerka turns, one of the enemy subs fires a torpedo. The Commander orders a hard right turn, but the projectile pops open, revealing a larger version of one of Destro's robot squids. It wraps around the Nerka's aft section and grabs the rudder, forcing her to follow the two Cobra subs.

* * *

A few days later in the infirmary of Joe H.Q., Doc is removing another of Snake-Eye's uniforms when a knock on the door is heard. "Doctor, there's a call for you from Duke."

"Blake, take over." Doc says, then walks out, and picks up the handset. "Doc here."

"Do you have any dolphin tanks available?" Duke asks, making him look at it in confusion.

"...Airtight, are you using one of Intel's voice changers again?" Doc asks him.

"No, this is for real, i can't specify just incase we're being overheard." Duke said.

"Uh-huh...so, you need a what now?" Doc asked next.

"You heard me right Doc, bring a dolphin tank; we'll rendezvous at the marine research center on Espiritu island." Duke told him.

* * *

While Destro places Lady-Jaye on the gurney, Xamot glances to him and Tomax, then over to her; noticing his associate and his brother are busy, he lowers the gurney's speed a little before they run off.

* * *

Chapter forty-one. Read and review.


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